328# “因为你曾被杀，用自己的血救赎我们归于神”表示所有人与神性的分离，以及通过承认主并接受来自祂的神性真理而与神性的结合。这从“被杀”和“用自己的血救赎我们归于神”的含义清楚可知：“被杀”当论及主时，是指所有人与神性的分离，因为在圣言中，“被杀”表示灵性上的被杀，也就是因邪恶和虚假而灭亡(参看AE 315节)；由于主也不在他们那里，因祂被否认，所以“被杀”当论及主时，表示不被承认(如前所述，AE 315节)，也表示被否认；当主被否认时，可以说祂在他们那里被杀，他们因否认而与神性分离；因为那些否认主，也就是否认祂神性的人将自己与神性完全分离，因为主是宇宙之神，与父为一，父在祂里面，祂在父里面，若不藉着祂，没有人能到父那里去，如主自己所教导的；因此，教会里那些不承认祂神性的人与神性完全分离，那些从心里否认它的人更是如此。
在他们自己里面杀祂在此表示否认神性。在圣言的内义中，“把主钉在十字架上”所表相同(参看AE 83, 195c节)；因为犹太人，和那时在他们中间的教会，都否认祂是基督，由此将自己与神性分离，从而将祂处死，或把祂钉死在十字架上。此外，如今那些否认祂神性的人也是如此；所以牧师常说，那些过着邪恶生活，亵渎主的人在自己里面把祂钉死在十字架上。因此，这就是此处“你曾被杀”所表示的。“用自己的血救赎我们归于神”是指祂将通过承认祂并接受来自祂的神性真理而把我们与神性结合起来；因为“救赎”表示从地狱中释放出来，由此把人们归于祂自己，从而把他们与神性结合起来，这一点从圣言中提到拯救和救赎的经文可以看出来，下面会引用这些经文。“主的血”表示从祂发出的神性真理；由于人通过接受来自主的神性真理而从地狱中被释放出来，并与祂结合，所以“你曾用自己的血救赎我们归于神”表示通过接受来自主的神性真理而与神性的结合。
这层含义就隐藏在这些话里面，只局限于字义的人看不到这一点，因为在字义里面什么也看不到，只看到“你曾被杀”表示祂被钉死在十字架上，“你曾用自己的血救赎我们归于神”表示祂通过十字架受难使我们与父和解了。由于这层含义是字义，还由于迄今为止，人们不知道圣言的细节里面有属灵的内义，所以他们从字义制定了教会的教义，即：被他们称为父的神性本身弃绝了整个人类，主通过十字架受难作了和解，因此，祂为之代求的人得救了。凡理解力在某种程度上被光照的人，谁看不出这个教义违反神性本身？因为神性本身从来不弃绝任何人；事实上，祂爱所有人，因此渴望拯救所有人。通过流血来和解，通过考虑到祂自己的儿子所遭受的十字架受难才被带回到怜悯之中，由此而不是从祂自己拥有怜悯，也违反神性本身。尽管这个教义如此违反神性本质，他们为了相信它，却仍称之为基本信仰，称义的信仰。
再者，凡从被光照的理性思考的人，谁会以为全世界的罪都转给了主，任何人仅拥有这信，他的罪就会由此被除去？然而，这却是那些从来不超越字义思考之人的教义，但与人们同在的天使却不照着字义来感知它，而是照着灵义来感知，因为他们是属灵的，因而属灵地，而非属世地思考。对天使来说，“用祂的血救赎人”表示把人从地狱中释放出来，因而通过承认祂，并接受来自祂的神性真理而索要人，并把他与自己结合起来。此外，教会能够知道情况是这样；因为它能知道，没有人是通过血与神性结合的，而是通过接受神性真理，并把它应用于生活而结合的。
主将人从地狱中释放出来是通过祂取得人身，并通过这人身征服地狱，使天堂里的一切事物都恢复秩序实现的，这一切只有通过人身才能成就；因为神性从最初通过终端，因而从祂自己通过在终端中来自祂自己的事物进行运作，这些事物在人身里面。这就是神性能力在天堂和世界上的运作(对此，可参看前面一些细节，AE 41节; 《天堂与地狱》，315节; 《属天的奥秘》，5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548节)。主把人从地狱中释放出来也通过荣耀祂的人身，也就是把它变成神性来实现；因为只有这样，祂才能将地狱永远保持在被征服的状态；由于征服地狱和荣耀祂的人身是通过被允许进入祂人身的试探实现的，所以祂的十字架受难是祂最后的试探和完全的胜利。“祂担当了所有人的罪”表示当受到试探时，祂允许所有地狱进入祂自己，因为一切罪和邪恶都从地狱升上来，并进入人，在他里面；因此，主“担当罪”表示当受到试探时，祂允许地狱进入祂自己；祂“除去罪”表示祂征服了地狱，好叫邪恶在那些承认主，并接受祂，也就是在信仰和生活上接受从主发出的神性真理，从而与主结合的人里面再也不从地狱升上来。
328b. 经上说“你曾用自己的血救赎我们归于神”表示通过承认主，并接受来自祂的神性真理而与神性的结合；由于教会建立在这一点上，所以我想用几句话阐明结合是如何由此实现的。
首要的是承认主，承认祂在人身里面的神性，以及祂拯救人类的全能；人通过这种承认与神性结合，因为除了人以外，别的地方没有神性；事实上，父在祂里面，祂在父里面，如主自己所教导的；因此，那些仰望祂附近或旁边的另一神性之人，如那些习惯于祈求父为了子的缘故而施怜悯的人所行的，偏离正道，敬拜其它地方的神性，而不是敬拜祂里面的神性。此外，那时他们不思想主的神性，只思想人身；然而，这些是无法分离的，因为根据教会从《亚他那修信经》所接受的教义，神性与人身不是两个，乃是一个位格，像灵魂与身体那样结合在一起。因此，承认主人身里面的神性，或神性人身是教会首要的事，由此而有结合；这是首要的，故也是教会的第一件事。正因这是教会的第一件事，所以主在世时，经常问祂所治愈的人：“你相信我能做到吗？”当他们回答说，他们相信时，祂便说：“照你的信成就吧。”祂经常这样问，是为了让他们可以首先相信，祂从祂的神性人身拥有神性全能，因为没有这种信仰，教会无法开始，没有这种信仰，他们不能与神性结合，而是一定与它分离，因而不能从祂那里接受任何良善。
后来，主教导了他们如何得救，即：他们要从祂那里接受神性真理；当这真理被应用于生活，并通过实行它而被植入生活时，它就被接受了；所以主常说，他们要遵行祂的话。由此可见，这两件事，即相信主和遵行祂的话构成一体，决不能分离；因为人若不遵行主的话，就不信祂；人若以为他信主，却不遵行祂的话，也不是信祂；因为主就在祂的话里面，也就是在祂的真理里面，主通过它们把信赐给人。从这几件事可知，与神性的结合通过承认主并接受来自祂的神性真理实现。因此，这就是“羔羊用自己的血救赎我们归于神”所表示的。“羔羊”表示神性人身方面的主(参看AE 314节)。对此，详情可参看《新耶路撒冷及其属天教义》(293–297节)，以及该书对《属天的奥秘》一书的引用(NJHD 300–306节)；也可参看那本书的末尾，那里具体论述了主。
328c. “血”表示从主发出的神性真理，“用祂的血救赎”表示通过接受来自祂的神性真理，这一点将在下文得到解释。
“救赎”表示解救和释放，当论及主时，是指从地狱中解救并释放出来，因而分开，并与祂自己结合，这一点从以下经文可以看出来。以赛亚书：
这从以东而来，能力广大，大步行走的是谁呢？就是我，是凭公义说话，以大能施行拯救。因为报仇之日在我心中，我救赎之年已经来到。在他们的一切苦难中，祂也同受苦难，并且祂面前的天使拯救他们，祂以慈爱和怜悯救赎他们。在永恒的一切日子扶持他们，怀抱他们。(以赛亚书63:1, 4, 9)
这论述了主，祂的试探–争战，祂通过试探–争战征服地狱。祂所来自的“以东”表示祂的人身，“祂面前的天使”也是。“能力广大，大步行走”表示祂争战所凭的神性能力；将那些起来反对祂的人投入地狱，将善人提升到天堂由“公义”，因而由这些话来表示：“就是我，是凭公义说话，以大能施行拯救。因为报仇之日在我心中，我救赎之年已经来到。”“在他们的一切苦难中，祂也同受苦难，并且祂面前的天使拯救他们，祂以慈爱和怜悯救赎他们。在永恒的一切日子扶持他们，怀抱他们”描述了祂的神性之爱，祂出于神性之爱做这些事。由此清楚可知，“赎民”和“祂所救赎的人”表示祂从那些来自地狱之人的烈怒中解救出来并拯救的人。
同一先知书：
雅各啊，耶和华，那创造你的，以色列啊，那形成你的，如此说；因为我救赎了你；我曾提你的名呼召你，你是我的。(以赛亚书43:1)
“救赎”表示从地狱中释放出来，并分开，与祂自己结合，好叫他们可以是祂的，这是显而易见的，因为经上说：“我救赎了你；我曾提你的名呼召你，你是我的。”由于这一切是通过从主改造和重生实现的，所以经上说：“雅各啊，耶和华，那创造你的，以色列啊，那形成你的。”祂被称为创造者，是因为在圣言中，“创造”表示重生(参看AE 294节)。“雅各”和“以色列”表示那些属于教会，处于源于良善的真理之人。
又：
你要对锡安的女子说，看哪，你的拯救来到；看哪，祂的赏赐在祂那里，祂的工价在祂面前。人必称他们为圣民，为耶和华的赎民。(以赛亚书62:11–12)
这也论述主降临，并建立教会。“锡安的女子”表示处于对主之爱的教会；“看哪，你的拯救来到；看哪，祂的赏赐在祂那里，祂的工价在祂面前”表示祂的降临；“耶和华的赎民”表示那些被祂改造和重生的人。
这些人被称为“赎民”，是因为他们通过重生从邪恶中被释放出来，被主分开，并与祂结合。又：
在那里必没有狮子，饥肠辘辘的野兽在那里遇不见；只有赎民在那里行走。并且耶和华救赎的民必归回，歌唱来到锡安，永乐必临到他们的头上。(以赛亚书35:9–10)
这同样论述主的降临，以及对那些让自己被主重生之人的拯救。“在那里必没有狮子，饥肠辘辘的野兽在那里遇不见”表示对这些人来说，既不会有摧毁真理的虚假，也不会有摧毁良善的邪恶；“只有赎民在那里行走。并且耶和华救赎的民必归回”表示这些人从邪恶中被解救出来，从虚假中被释放出来；“他们必歌唱来到锡安，永乐必临到他们的头上”表示他们永恒的幸福，“锡安”表示教会。至于“歌唱”表示什么，可参看前文(AE 326a,b节)。在原文，有两个词来表达“救赎”，一个表示从邪恶中解救出来，另一个表示从虚假中释放出来；此处用到这两个词；故经上说：“只有赎民行走，并且耶和华救赎的民必归回。”何西阿书(13:14)和诗篇(69:18; 107:2)也用了这两个词。
328d. “救赎”表示从邪恶中解救出来，从虚假中释放出来，还表示从地狱中解救并释放出来，因为与人同在的一切邪恶和虚假都是从地狱产生的；由于主通过改造和重生移除它们，所以动词或名词形式的“救赎”也表示改造和重生；如以下经文。
诗篇：
求你起来帮助我们，为了你怜悯的缘故救赎我们。(诗篇44:26)
“救赎”在此表示释放和改造。又：
神救赎我的灵魂脱离地狱之手；祂必收纳我。(诗篇49:15)
“救赎脱离地狱之手”表示释放；“收纳我”表示分开，并与祂自己结合，或使他们变成祂自己的，如同买来和赎回的仆人。何西阿书：
我必救赎他们脱离地狱之手；救赎他们脱离死亡。(何西阿书13:14)
“救赎”表示从诅咒中解救并释放出来。诗篇：
我的灵魂哪，你要称颂耶和华，祂从坑中救赎了你的性命。(诗篇103:1, 4)
“从坑中救赎”表示从诅咒中释放出来；“坑”表示诅咒。又：
求你亲近我的灵魂，救赎它，因我的仇敌把我赎回。(诗篇69:18)
“亲近灵魂”表示把它与祂自己结合；“救赎它”表示从邪恶中解救出来；“因我的仇敌把我赎回”表示从虚假中释放出来，“仇敌”表示虚假。又：
愿耶和华的赎民说，就是祂从阻止的敌人手中所救赎的。(诗篇107:2)
“耶和华的赎民”表示那些从邪恶中被解救出来的人；“就是祂从阻止的敌人手中所救赎的”表示那些祂从虚假中释放出来的人。耶利米书：
我与你同在，要拯救你、搭救你；我必搭救你脱离恶人的手，救赎你脱离强暴人的手。(耶利米书15:20–21)
“救赎你脱离强暴人的手”表示从向仁之良善施暴的虚假中释放出来；“强暴”表示这些虚假，因而也表示那些处于它们的人。
诗篇：
愿以色列仰望耶和华，因耶和华那里有怜悯，祂里面有丰盛的赎救，祂必救赎以色列脱离一切的罪孽。(诗篇130:7–8)
“救赎”表示释放；“以色列”表示教会；“祂必救赎以色列脱离一切的罪孽”表示改造那些属于教会的人，把他们从虚假中释放出来。又：
愿纯全、正直保护我，因为我等候你。神啊，求你救赎以色列脱离他一切的困苦。(诗篇25:21–22)
“救赎以色列脱离困苦”在此也表示把那些属于教会的人从造成困苦的虚假中释放出来。以赛亚书：
我的手岂是过短，以致没有救赎吗？我里面岂无拯救的能力吗？(以赛亚书50:2)
“救赎”表示释放，这是显而易见的，因为经上还说：“我的手岂是过短，以致没有救赎吗？”诗篇：
神必垂听我的声音。祂必救赎我的灵魂得享平安。(诗篇55:17–18)
“救赎”在此表示释放。又：
以色列的圣者啊，我要弹琴向你唱诗。我的嘴唇和你所救赎我的灵魂都必赞美。(诗篇71:22–23)
“救赎灵魂”表示从虚假中释放出来；因为在圣言中，“灵魂”表示信之生命，“心”表示爱之生命；因此，“救赎灵魂”表示从虚假中释放出来，并赐予信之生命。
又：
求你救赎我脱离人的欺压，好让我谨守你的训词。(诗篇119:134)
“救赎脱离人的欺压”表示从邪恶之虚假中释放出来，因为“人”表示对真理的属灵情感和由此而来的智慧，在反面意义上，如此处，表示对虚假的欲望和由此而来的疯狂；“人的欺压”表示虚假对真理的摧毁。又：
我将我的灵交在你手里；耶和华真理的神啊，你救赎了我。(诗篇31:5)
“救赎”表示从虚假中释放出来，并通过真理改造；由于“救赎”表示这一点，所以经上说：“耶和华真理的神啊。”又：
罪人手中有奸恶，他们的右手充满贿赂。至于我，却要行走在你的纯正中；求你救赎我，怜悯我！(诗篇26:10–11)
“救赎”表示从虚假中释放出来，并改造。又：
祂要救赎他们的灵魂脱离欺诈和强暴；他们的血在祂眼中看为宝贵。他要存活，示巴的金子要奉给他；人要常常为他祷告，祂终日赐福给他。(诗篇72:14–15)
此处论述的是“穷乏人”，他们表示那些出于属灵的情感渴慕真理的人。论到这些人，经上说：“祂要救赎他们的灵魂脱离欺诈和强暴。”这句话表示从摧毁爱之良善和信之真理的虚假和邪恶中释放出来；“他们的血在祂眼中看为宝贵”表示他们对神性真理的接受；“他要存活，示巴的金子要奉给他；人要常常为他祷告，祂终日赐福给他”描述了他们的改造；“示巴的金子”是指仁之良善；“常常为他祷告”表示他们要不断远离虚假，持守在真理中；“祂终日赐福给他”表示他们要不断处于仁与信之良善，因为这是一种神性祝福；而远离虚假，持守在真理中就是“常常为他祷告”。
以赛亚书：、
耶和华如此说，你们白白地被卖，也必不用银子赎回。我的百姓下到埃及，在那里寄居，亚述人却无故欺压他们。(以赛亚书52:3–4)
这论述了真理因知识和属世人基于它们的推理的荒凉；因为“我的百姓下到埃及，在那里寄居”表示属世人通过真理的知识和认知所接受的教导；“埃及”表示知识和认知，不过是诸如来自圣言字义的那种；“寄居”表示被教导；“亚述人却无故欺压他们”表示通过属世人的推理对知识的歪曲；“亚述”表示推理，“无故欺压”表示歪曲，事实上，虚假什么都不是，因为它们里面毫无真理。当与属灵人分离的属世人得出结论时，知识就如此被歪曲；这就是为何经上说：“你们白白地被卖，也必不用银子赎回。”“白白地被卖”表示从他自己或从自我使人自己疏远虚假，并弃绝它们；“必不用银子赎回”表示人不能通过真理从邪恶之虚假中被解救出来；“银子”表示真理，“被救赎”表示从邪恶之虚假中被解救出来，并被改造。
撒迦利亚书：
我要聚集他们，因我要救赎他们；他们就必增多；我必把他们播散在列民当中；我必再领他们出埃及地，把他们从亚述一起带出来；我要领他们到基列地和黎巴嫩。(撒迦利亚书10:8–10)
这论述了教会的恢复，以及通过源于良善的真理的改造；“我要聚集他们，因我要救赎他们”表示对虚假的驱散，以及通过真理的改造；故经上说：“他们就必增多；我必把他们播散在列民当中。”这句话表示源于良善的真理的增多和播种；“再领他们出埃及地，把他们从亚述一起带出来”表示把他们引离对真理的歪曲，就是他们通过基于知识的推理所拥有的真理(可参看前文)。“领他们到基列地和黎巴嫩”表示到教会的良善，也就是仁之良善，到信之良善和真理；前者是“基列地”，后者是“黎巴嫩”。
328e. 由此可见，耶和华“领百姓出埃及”并“救赎他们”表示什么；如摩西五经：
我要救你们脱离苦工，我要用伸出来的膀臂藉着大判罚救赎你们。(出埃及记6:6)
申命记：
我用伸出来的膀臂领你们出埃及，从为奴之家把你们救赎出来。(申命记7:8; 9:26–29; 13:5; 15:15; 24:18)
出埃及记：
你凭怜悯引领你所赎回的百姓；你凭你手的力量引导他们到你的圣所。(出埃及记15:13)
弥迦书：
我曾将你从埃及地领出来，把你从为奴之家救赎出来。(弥迦书6:4)
这句话在字义上是指他们被神性大能领出埃及，就是他们为奴之地；但在内义或灵义上却不是指这种事，而是指那些属于教会的人，也就是那些被主通过真理和照之的生活改造的人，从邪恶和由此而来的虚假中被解救和释放出来，因为这些就是使人成为奴隶的东西；这就是这句话的灵义，天使处于灵义，而世人处于字义。
此外，天使将以下经文中的“救赎”理解为从邪恶中解救出来，从虚假中释放出来。摩西五经：
我要在我的百姓和你的百姓之间施行救赎。(出埃及记8:23)
诗篇：
祂向百姓施行救赎，命定祂的约，直到永远。祂的圣而可畏。(诗篇111:9)
马太福音：
人若赚得全世界，却丧失自己的灵魂，有什么益处呢？人要付出什么代价才足以赎回自己的灵魂呢？(马太福音16:26; 马可福音8:36–37)
“救赎”在此表示从诅咒中解救出来。
328f. 由此可见，主救赎人类表示什么，即：祂把他们从地狱，以及不断从地狱升上来，把人带入定罪的邪恶和虚假中解救和释放出来，祂不断解救和释放他们。这种解救和释放通过祂征服地狱来实现；不断的解救和释放通过祂荣耀祂的人身，也就是将它变成神性来实现，因为祂由此使地狱不断被征服；因此，这就是祂救赎人，并在圣言中被称为“救赎主”所表示的；如以下经文。以赛亚书：
你这虫子雅各和你们以色列人，不要害怕；我就是那帮助你的，你的救赎主以色列的圣者。(以赛亚书41:14)
同一先知书：
以色列的救赎主，以色列的圣者耶和华如此说，因信实的耶和华，因拣选你的以色列的圣者。(以赛亚书49:7)
又：
我们的救赎主是万军之耶和华，祂名为以色列的圣者。(以赛亚书47:4)
又：
耶和华你们的救赎主，以色列的圣者如此说。(以赛亚书43:14)
又：
一切肉体都必知道我耶和华是你的救主，是你的救赎主，是雅各的大能者。(以赛亚书49:26)
又：
你就知道我耶和华是你的救主，是你的救赎主，是雅各的大能者。(以赛亚书60:16)
“以色列的圣者”和在此被称为“救赎主”的“雅各的大能者”表示神性人身方面的主，“耶和华”表示祂的神性本身。神性人身方面的主被称为“以色列的圣者”、“雅各的大能者”和“雅各的强者”(strong one of Jacob)，是因为“以色列”和“雅各”表示教会，因而表示那些被重生和改造，也就是被主救赎的人，因为唯独这些人属于教会，或构成主的教会。
那被称为“圣者”的，是主的神性人身，这一点明显可见于路加福音：
天使对马利亚说，圣灵要临到你身上，至高者的能力要荫庇你；因此将要从你所生的圣者，必称为神的儿子。(路加福音1:35)
神性人身方面的主就是“雅各的强者”和“雅各的大能者”；同一福音书：
天使对马利亚说，看哪，你要以子宫怀孕，生出一个儿子。祂将要为大，永远统治雅各家，祂的国没有穷尽。(路加福音1:30–33)
显然，“雅各家”是指主的教会，不是指犹太民族。
由于主的人身就是与祂取得人身的神性本身同等的神性，所以在以下经文中，耶和华被称为“救赎主”。以赛亚书：
耶和华你的救赎主，以色列的圣者如此说，我是耶和华你的神。(以赛亚书48:17)
同一先知书：
万军之耶和华是祂的名；救赎你的是以色列的圣者；祂必称为全地之神。(以赛亚书54:5)
诗篇：
耶和华我的磐石，我的救赎主啊。(诗篇19:14)
耶利米书：
他们的救赎主刚强有力，万军之耶和华是祂的名。(耶利米书50:34)
以赛亚书：
耶和华啊，你是我们的父，从万古以来，你名称为我们的救赎主。(以赛亚书63:16)
由此可见当如何理解主的这句话：
人子来，是要给予祂的灵魂，为多人作赎价。(马太福音20:28; 马可福音10:45)
也就是说，好叫他们可以从地狱中被解救和释放出来；因为十字架受难是最后的试探和完全的胜利，祂以此征服了地狱，并荣耀了祂的人身(可参看《新耶路撒冷及其属天教义》，293–297, 300–306节)。
328. For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God in thy blood. That this signifies the separation of all from the Divine, and conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him, is evident from the signification of being slain, when predicated of the Lord, as denoting the separation of all from the Divine, for to be slain in the Word signifies to be spiritually slain, that is, to perish by evils and falsities, as may be seen above, n. 315; and because the Lord also is not with them, for He is denied, therefore by being slain, when said of the Lord, is signified not to be acknowledged (as above, n. 315), and also to be denied; and when the Lord is denied, He is, as it were, slain with them, and they are thereby separated from the Divine. For those who deny the Lord, that is, His Divine, separate themselves altogether from the Divine, for He is the God of the universe, and He is one with the Father, also the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and no one cometh to the Father but by Him, as the Lord Himself teaches; therefore those in the church who do not acknowledge His Divine, are altogether separated from the Divine, and more so they who in heart deny it.
[2] To deny it is here meant by slaying Him in themselves. This is also meant in the internal sense of the Word by their crucifying the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 83, 195); for the Jews, with whom the church then was, denied that He was the Christ, and consequently separated themselves from the Divine, and therefore they put Him to death, or crucified Him. Even at this day those do this who deny His Divine; whence it is a common remark of preachers, that they who lead an evil life, and blaspheme Him, crucify Him in themselves. This, therefore, is what is here signified by, "Thou wast slain"; and from the signification of, "Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood," as denoting that He would conjoin us to the Divine by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. For that to redeem signifies to liberate from hell, and thereby to take them to Himself, and thus conjoin them to the Divine, will be evident from the passages in the Word, where to redeem and redemption are mentioned, which will be adduced below; and the Lord's blood signifies the Divine truth proceeding from Him; and because a man by the reception of Divine truth from the Lord is liberated from hell and conjoined to Him, therefore by, "Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood," there is signified conjunction with the Divine by the reception of the Divine truth from Him.
[3] That this sense is concealed in those words, no one can see who confines himself to the sense of the letter, for in that sense nothing else can be seen, except that by, "Thou wast slain," is meant crucified; and by, "Thou hast redeemed by thy blood," is meant that He has reconciled us to His Father by the passion of the cross; and because that sense is the sense of the letter, and it has remained unknown hitherto, that in every particular of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, therefore from the sense of the letter they have made it a doctrine of the church, that the essential Divine which they call the Father, rejected the whole human race, and that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, made reconciliation, and thus that those for whom He intercedes are saved. How can he, whose understanding is in some measure enlightened, help seeing that this doctrinal is contrary to the Divine itself? For the Divine never rejects any man, for He loves all, and thence desires the salvation of all. And it is also contrary to the Divine itself to be reconciled by the shedding of blood, and to be brought back to mercy through the consideration of the passion of the cross which His own Son sustained, and that thence He has mercy, and not from Himself; and although this is contrary to the Divine essence, still they call it essential faith or justifying faith to believe this.
[4] Who also from enlightened reason can suppose that the sins of the whole world were transferred to the Lord, and taken away from every one who has that faith alone? And yet this is the doctrine of those who do not think beyond the sense of the letter. But yet, the angels who are with men, do not perceive it according to that sense, but according to the spiritual sense, for they are spiritual, and hence they think spiritually and not naturally. By redeeming man by His blood, they understand the freeing man from hell, and so claiming and conjoining him to Himself by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. That this is the case the church also may know; for it may know that no one can be conjoined to the Divine by blood, but by the reception of the Divine truth, and the application of it to the life.
[5] The Lord's deliverance [of man] from hell was accomplished by His assuming the Human, and thereby subjugating the hells, and reducing all things in the heavens into order, which could have been done in no other way than from the Human, for the Divine operates from primaries by means of ultimates, thus from Himself by those things that are from Himself in ultimates, these being in the Human. This is the operation of the Divine power in heaven and in the world. (But concerning this matter some particulars may be seen above, n. 41; also in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 315; and in the Arcana Coelestia 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548.) The Lord's deliverance [of man] from hell was also accomplished by His glorifying His Human, that is, by making it Divine, for thus and in no other way could the hells be kept in subjection for ever; and because the subjugation of the hells and the glorification of His Human was accomplished by temptations admitted into His Human, the passion of His cross was the last temptation and complete victory. By bearing the sins of all, is signified that He admitted into Himself all the hells when tempted, for all sins and evils come up therefrom, and enter into and are with man; therefore by bearing them is signified His admitting the hells into Himself when tempted; and by His taking away sins, is signified that He subjugated the hells, in order that evils may thence no more arise in those who acknowledge the Lord and receive Him, that is, the Divine truth proceeding from Him in faith and life, and are thus conjoined to the Lord. It is said that by "Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood," is signified conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of Him, and the reception of Divine truth from Him; and because the church is founded upon this, I wish in a few words to state how conjunction is thereby effected.
[6] The chief thing is to acknowledge the Lord, His Divine in the Human, and His Omnipotence in saving the human race; for by that acknowledgment man is conjoined to the Divine, because there is no Divine elsewhere; for there is the Father, the Father being in Him, and He in the Father, as the Lord Himself teaches; therefore those who look to another Divine near Him, or at His side, as those are accustomed to do who pray to the Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son, turn aside from the way and worship a Divine elsewhere than in Him. And, moreover, they think nothing at that time concerning the Lord's Divine, but solely concerning His Human, which nevertheless cannot be separated, for the Divine and the Human are not two but a single person conjoined like soul and body, according to the doctrine received by the churches from the Athanasian Creed. To acknowledge the Divine in the Lord's Human, or the Divine Human, is the chief thing of the church, by this there is conjunction; and because it is the primary it is also the first thing of the church. Because this is the first thing of the church, the Lord therefore, when He was in the world, so often asked those whom He healed, "Believest thou that I am able to do this?" and when they answered that they did believe, He said, "Be it done according to your faith." This He so often asked that they might first believe that He had Divine Omnipotence from His Divine Human, for without that faith the church could not be begun, and without that faith they could not be conjoined with the Divine, but must have been separated from it, and, consequently, they could not receive any thing good from Him.
[7] Afterwards the Lord taught how they would be saved, namely, that they should receive Divine truth from Him; and this is received, when it is applied to, and implanted in, the life by doing it; therefore the Lord so often said, that they should do His words. From these considerations it is evident that these two things, namely, to believe in the Lord and to do His words, make one, and that they can by no means be separated; for he who does not the Lord's words does not believe in Him; nor also does he believe in Him who supposes that he does believe in Him and does not do His words; for the Lord is in His words, that is, in His truths, and from them the Lord imparts faith to man. From these few remarks, it can be known that conjunction with the Divine is effected by the acknowledgment of the Lord and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. This, therefore, is what is signified by the Lamb redeeming us to God by His blood. That by the Lamb is signified the Lord as to the Divine Human, may be seen above, n. 314. Concerning this circumstance more may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-297; and from the Arcana Coelestia there, n. 300-306, as also at the end of this work, where the Lord is particularly treated of. That blood signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and that salvation through His blood signifies through the reception of Divine truth from Him, will be explained in the following article.
[8] That to redeem, however, signifies to deliver and set free, and when predicated of the Lord to deliver and free from hell, and thus to claim and conjoin to Himself, is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:
"Who cometh from Edom, travelling in the multitude of his strength? I who speak in justice, mighty to save. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. In all their want he suffered want, and the angel of his faces preserved them; in his love and his pity he redeemed them; and he took them, and carried them all the days of eternity" (63:1, 4, 9).
The Lord is here treated of, and His temptation-combats, by which He subjugated the hells. By Edom, from which He cometh, is signified His Human, and also by the angel of His faces. His Divine power from which He fought, is signified by travelling in the multitude of His strength; the casting down into hell of those who rose up against Him, and the elevation of the good into heaven, are meant by justice, therefore, by these words, "I who speak in justice, mighty to save. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." His Divine love from which He did those things, is described by, "In all their want he suffered want, and the angel of his faces preserved them; in his love and his pity he redeemed them; and he took them, and carried them all the days of eternity." Hence it is evident that by the redeemed and by those whom He redeemed, are signified those whom He delivered and saved from the fury of those who are from hell.
[9] In the same:
"Thus said Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel; [Fear not;] for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine" (294. Jacob and Israel signify those who belong to the church, and are in truths from good.
[10] In the same:
"Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold! thy salvation cometh; behold! His reward is with him, and the worth of the trouble is before him; And they shall call them, A people of holiness, the redeemed of Jehovah" (62:11, 12).
Here also the Lord's advent is treated of, and the establishment of the church by Him. The daughter of Zion signifies the church which is in love to the Lord; His advent is meant by "Behold! thy salvation cometh; behold! his reward is with him, and the worth of the trouble is before him"; those who are reformed and regenerated by Him are meant by the redeemed of Jehovah.
[11] The reason why they are called the redeemed is, because they are freed through regeneration from evils, and are claimed by and conjoined to the Lord. In the same:
"No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein; but the redeemed shall walk there. Thus the redeemed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with singing, the joy of eternity upon their head" (35:9, 10).
Here also the Lord's advent is treated of, and the salvation of those who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord. That there shall not be with them falsity destroying truth, nor evil destroying good, is signified by "no lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein"; that they are delivered from evils and freed from falsities is signified by, "the redeemed shall walk there; thus the redeemed of Jehovah shall return"; their eternal felicity is signified by, "They shall come to Zion with singing, and the joy of eternity upon their head"; Zion denotes the church. What singing signifies may be seen just above, n. 13:14); and in David (Psalms 69:18; 107:6).
[12] That to redeem signifies to deliver from evils and to free from falsities, and also to deliver and free from hell, is, because all the evils and falsities with a man arise from hell; and because they are removed through reformation and regeneration by the Lord, reformation and regeneration also are signified by to redeem or by redemption; as in the following passages.
[13] In David:
"Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercy's sake" (Psalms 44:26).
To redeem [is here used] for to set free and to reform.
Again:
"God hath redeemed my soul out of the hand of hell; and he shall receive me" (Psalms 49:15).
To redeem from the power of hell, means to free; to receive me, to claim and to conjoin to Himself, or to make them His, as servants sold and redeemed.
In Hosea:
"Out of the hand of hell will I redeem them; I will redeem them from death" (13:14).
To redeem means to deliver and free from damnation.
In David:
"Bless Jehovah, O my soul, bless his holy name; who hath redeemed thy life from the pit" (Psalms 103:1-4).
To redeem from the pit, means to free from damnation, the pit denoting damnation.
Again:
"Draw nigh unto my soul, redeem it, and because of mine enemies redeem me" (Psalms 69:18).
To draw nigh to the soul signifies to conjoin it to Himself; to redeem it signifies to deliver from evils; redeem me because of mine enemies, signifies to free from falsities, enemies denoting falsities.
Again:
"Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so, whom he hath redeemed out of the hand of the restraining enemy" (Psalms 107:2).
The redeemed of Jehovah are those who are delivered from evils; "whom he hath redeemed out of the hand of the restraining enemy," are those whom He has freed from falsities.
In Jeremiah:
"I am with thee, to keep thee and to deliver thee; and I will deliver thee out of the hand of the evil, and I will redeem thee from the hand of the violent" (15:20, 21).
To redeem out of the hand of the violent means to liberate from falsities which offer violence to the good of charity; the violent signify those falsities, consequently, also those who are in them.
[14] In David
"Let Israel hope in Jehovah, for with Jehovah there is mercy, and in him is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities" (Psalms 130:7, 8).
Redemption here means liberation; Israel, the church; and to reform those who are of the church, and free them from falsities, is signified by, "He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities."
Again:
"Let integrity and uprightness guard me; for I have waited for thee. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his distresses" (Psalms 25:21, 22).
To redeem Israel from distresses, means also here to free those who belong to the church from falsities which cause distress.
In Isaiah:
"Is my hand shortened, that there is no redemption, or is there no power in me to deliver?" (50:2).
That redemption denotes liberation is evident, for it is also said, "Is my hand shortened, or is there no power in me to deliver?" In David:
"God shall hear my voice; he shall redeem my soul with peace " (Psalms 55:16-18).
To redeem here means to free.
Again:
"Unto thee will I sing with the harp, thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall praise; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed" (Psalms 71:22, 23).
To redeem the soul here means to free from falsities; for by soul in the Word is signified the life of faith, and by heart the life of love; therefore to redeem the soul signifies to free from falsities, and to give the life of faith.
[15] And again:
"Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep thy commandments" (Psalms 119:134).
To deliver from the oppression of man signifies to free from the falsities of evil, for man signifies the spiritual affection of truth and thence wisdom, and in the opposite sense, as here, the lust of falsity, and thence insanity; the oppression thereof, signifies the destruction of truth by falsities.
So again:
"Into thine hand I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah, God of truth" (Psalms 31:5).
To redeem here means to free from falsities and to reform by truths. Because this is signified by to redeem, therefore it is also said, "O Jehovah, God of truth."
And again:
"Mischief is in the hands of sinners, and their right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I walk in mine integrity; redeem me, and be merciful unto me" (Psalms 26:9-11).
To redeem here means to free from falsities, and to reform.
So again:
"He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and precious shall their blood be in his eyes. And he shall live, and he shall give him of the gold of Sheba; and he shall pray for him continually; daily shall he bless him" (Psalms 72:14, 15).
The needy are here treated of, by whom are signified those who desire truths from a spiritual affection. Concerning them it is said, that "He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence," by which is signified liberation from evils and falsities which destroy the goods of love and the truths of faith; the reception of Divine truth by them is signified by, "precious shall their blood be in his eyes"; their reformation is described by, "He shall live, and he shall give him of the gold of Sheba; and he shall pray for him continually; daily shall he bless him." The gold of Sheba denotes the good of charity; to pray for him continually, signifies that they shall continually be withheld from falsities and kept in truths; and daily shall he bless him, signifies that they shall continually be in the good of charity and faith, for this is the Divine benediction, and this is to pray for him continually.
[16] In Isaiah:
"Thus said Jehovah, Ye are sold for nought, and ye shall not be redeemed by silver; into Egypt have my people descended to dwell there as strangers, but Asshur oppressed them for nothing" (52:3, 4).
The desolation of truths by scientifics, and by the reasonings of the natural man from them, is here treated of; for by, "into Egypt have my people descended to dwell there as strangers," is signified the instruction of the natural man by means of scientifics and by the knowledges of truth. Egypt signifies scientifics and also knowledges, but such as are from the sense of the letter of the Word; and to dwell as a stranger signifies to be instructed. By Assyria oppressing them for nothing, is signified the falsification of those things by the reasonings of the natural man. Assyria signifies reasonings, and to oppress for nothing signifies falsification; for falsities are nothing, because there is nothing of truth in them, which is the case when the natural man, separate from the spiritual, draws conclusions; hence it is that it is preceded by, "Ye are sold for nought; and ye shall not be redeemed by silver." To be sold for nought signifies, from himself, or from the proprium, to alienate oneself, and to renounce falsities; and not to be redeemed by silver, signifies that they could not be delivered from the falsities of evil by truth; money signifies truth, and to be redeemed signifies to be delivered from the falsities of evil, and to be reformed.
[17] In Zechariah:
"I will gather them together, because I will redeem them; then shall they be multiplied; and I will sow them among the peoples; and I will bring them back out of the land [of Egypt], and will gather them together out of Assyria, and to the land of Gilead, and to Lebanon will I bring them" (10:8-10).
The subject here treated of is the restoration of the church, and reformation by means of truths from good; and by, "I will gather them, because I will redeem them," is signified the dispersion of falsities, and reformation by truths; therefore it is said, "they shall be multiplied, and I will sow them among the peoples," by which is signified the multiplication and insemination of truth from good; to bring them back out of the land of Egypt, and to gather them from Assyria, signifies, to lead them away from the falsification of the truth which they have by means of reasonings from scientifics (as may be seen above). "To bring them to the land of Gilead, and to Lebanon," signifies, to the good of the church, which is the good of charity, and to the good and truth of faith; the former is the land of Gilead, and the latter Lebanon.
[18] From these things it is evident what is signified, in the spiritual sense, by Jehovah leading the people out of Egypt and redeeming them; as in Moses:
"I will free you from bondage; and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments" (Exodus 6:6).
So again:
"I brought you out of Egypt with a stretched-out arm, and I redeemed you out of the house of servants" (Deuteronomy 9:26-29; 13:5; 15:15; 24:18).
"Thou in thy mercy hast led forth thy people whom thou hast redeemed; thou hast brought them in the strength of thy hand to the dwelling of thy holiness" (Exodus 15:13).
And in Micah:
"I made thee ascend out of the land of Egypt, and I redeemed thee out of the house of bondage" (6:4).
In the sense of the letter it means here that they were, by the Divine power, brought out of Egypt, where they had been made servants; but, in the internal or spiritual sense, no such thing is meant, but that those who belong to the church, who are those who are reformed by the Lord, by truths and by a life according to them, are delivered and freed from evils and the falsities thence, for these are the things that make man a slave; this is the spiritual sense of those words, in which the angels are, while man is in the sense of the letter.
[19] The angels also by redemption understand deliverance from evils, and liberation from falsities, in the following passages.
In Moses:
"I will put redemption between my people and Pharaoh's people" (Exodus 8:23).
In David:
"He hath sent redemption unto his people; he hath commanded his covenant for ever; holy and reverend is his name" (Psalms 111:9).
In Matthew:
"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, but shall lose his soul? or what shall a man give as a price sufficient for the redemption of his soul?" (16:26; Mark 8:36, 37).
[20] Redemption here means deliverance from damnation. From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the Lord redeeming mankind, namely, that He has delivered and freed them from hell, and from the evils and falsities which thence continually rise up and bring man into condemnation, and that He continually delivers them and frees them. This deliverance and liberation was brought about by His subjugating the hells; and the continual deliverance and liberation, by His having glorified His Human, that is, having made it Divine, for thereby He keeps the hells continually in subjection; this, therefore, is what is signified by His redeeming man, and by His being called in the Word a Redeemer; as in the following passages.
In Isaiah:
"Fear not, thou worm of Jacob, and ye dying men of Israel; I am he who helpeth thee, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (41:14).
In the same prophet:
"Thus said Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, because of Jehovah that is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee" (49:7).
Again:
"Our Redeemer is Jehovah Zebaoth; his name, the Holy One of Israel" (47:4).
Again:
"Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (43:14).
Again:
"That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (49:26).
Again:
"That thou mayest know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (60:16).
By the Holy One of Israel, and by the Mighty One of Jacob, who in these passages is called the Redeemer, is meant the Lord as to the Divine Human, and by Jehovah His essential Divine. The reason why the Lord as to His Divine Human is called the Holy One of Israel, and the Strong and Mighty One of Jacob, is, because Israel and Jacob signify the church, thus those who are regenerated and reformed, that is, who are redeemed by the Lord, for these alone belong to the church, or constitute the Lord's church.
[21] That the Lord's Divine Human is what is called holy, is evident in Luke:
The angel said unto Mary, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (1:35).
And that the Lord as to the Divine Human is the Strong and Mighty One of Jacob, in the same:
The angel said unto Mary, "Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son. He shall be great, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end" (1:30-33).
By the house of Jacob is meant the Lord's church; that it is not the Jewish nation, is evident.
[22] Because the Lord's Human was equally Divine as His essential Divine, which assumed the Human, therefore also Jehovah is called the Redeemer in the following passages.
In Isaiah:
"Thus said Jehovah thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jehovah thy God" (Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-297; and 300-306.)
328. For thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in Thy blood, signifies the separation of all from the Divine, and the conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. This is evident from the signification of "being slain," as being, in reference to the Lord, the separation of all from the Divine, for "to be slain" signifies in the Word to be spiritually slain, that is, to perish by evils and falsities (See above, n. 315); and because the Lord with such is not, for He is denied, therefore "being slain" signifies, in reference to the Lord, not acknowledged (as above, n. 315 and also denied; and when the Lord is denied He is as it were slain with such as deny, and by the denial they are separated from the Divine; for such as deny the Lord, that is, His Divine, separate themselves altogether from the Divine. For the Lord is the God of the universe, and He is one with the Father, and the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and no one cometh to the Father but by Him, as the Lord Himself teaches; consequently those in the church who do not acknowledge His Divine, and still more those who in heart deny it, are altogether separated from the Divine.
[2] Denying the Divine is here meant by slaying Him with themselves. In the internal sense of the Word the same is meant by "crucifying the Lord" (See above, n. 83, 195); for the Jews, with whom the church then was, denied that he was the Christ, and thereby separated themselves from the Divine and therefore they gave Him up to death, or crucified Him. Moreover, at this day those who deny His Divine do the same; it is therefore frequently said by preachers that those who lead an evil life and blaspheme the Lord crucify Him with themselves. This, therefore, is what is here signified by "Thou wast slain." This is evident also from the signification of "thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood," as being that He conjoined us to the Divine by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him; for "to redeem" signifies to liberate from hell, and thereby to appropriate men to Himself, and thus enjoin them to the Divine, as will be seen from the passages in the Word in which "to redeem" and "redemption" are mentioned, which will be quoted below. The "blood of the Lord" signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; and because man by the reception of Divine truth from the Lord is liberated from hell and conjoined to Him, therefore "Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood" signifies conjunction with the Divine by the reception of the Divine truth from the Lord.
[3] That this sense lies hidden in these words no one can see who abides in the mere sense of the letter, for in that sense nothing else can be seen except that "Thou wast slain" means that He was crucified and "Thou didst redeem us in Thy blood" means that He has reconciled us to His Father by the passion of the cross. Because this meaning is the meaning of the letter, and because it has hitherto been unknown that in the particulars of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, from that sense, namely, the sense of the letter, it has been made a doctrine of the church that the Divine Itself which they call the Father cast away from Him the whole human race, and that the Lord by the passion of the cross made reconciliation, and that thus those for whom He intercedes are saved. Who that has any illumination of understanding cannot see that this doctrinal is contrary to the Divine Itself? For the Divine Itself never casts away any man from Him for He loves all, and therefore desires the salvation of all. It is also contrary to the Divine Itself to be reconciled by the shedding of blood, and to be brought back to mercy by beholding the passion of the cross which His own Son sustained, and from this to have mercy, and not from Himself. Although this doctrine is so contrary to the Divine essence, yet to believe this is called essential faith or justifying faith.
[4] Again, who can think from enlightened reason that the sins of the whole world were transferred to the Lord, and that the sins of anyone who merely has that faith are thereby taken away? But although this is the doctrine of those who never think beyond the sense of the letter, yet the angels who are with men have no perception of these things according to that sense, but according to the spiritual sense, for they are spiritual and therefore think spiritually and not naturally. To angels, "redeeming man in His blood" means liberating man from hell, and thus claiming and conjoining man to Himself by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. Moreover, the church may know that this is so; for it may know that no one is conjoined to the Divine by blood, but by the reception of the Divine truth, and the application of it to the life.
[5] Liberation from hell by the Lord was accomplished by His assuming the Human, and through it subjugating the hells, and reducing to order all things in the heavens, which could have been done in no way except by the Human; for the Divine operates from firsts through ultimates, thus from Himself through the things that are from Himself in ultimates, which are in the Human. This is the operation of Divine power in heaven and in the world. (On this see some things above, n. 41; also in Heaven and Hell 315; and in Arcana Coelestia 5897 897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548.)
Liberation from hell by the Lord was also accomplished by His glorifying His Human, that is, making it Divine; for thus and not otherwise could He hold the hells in subjection forever; and as the subjugation of the hells and the glorification of His Human was accomplished by means of temptations admitted into his Human, His passion of the cross was His last temptation and complete victory. That "He bore the sins of all" signifies that He admitted into Himself all the hells when He was tempted, for from the hells all sins or evils ascend, and enter into man and are in him; therefore the Lord's "bearing sins" signifies that He admitted the hells into Himself when tempted; and His "taking away sins" means that He subjugated the hells, in order that evils may no more rise up from them, with those who acknowledge the Lord and receive Him, that is, who receive in faith and life the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and who are thus conjoined to the Lord.
It was said that "Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood" signifies conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and the reception of Divine truth from Him; and as the church is founded on this, I will state briefly how conjunction is thereby effected.
[6] The primary thing is to acknowledge the Lord, to acknowledge His Divine in the Human, and His omnipotence to save the human race; for by that acknowledgment man is conjoined to the Divine, since there is no Divine except in Him; for the Father is there; for the Father is in Him, and He in the Father, as the Lord Himself teaches; consequently they who look to another Divine near Him, or at His side, as those are wont to do who pray to the Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son, turn aside from the way and worship a Divine elsewhere than in Him. Moreover, they then give no thought to the Divine of the Lord, but only to the Human, when yet these cannot be separated; for the Divine and the Human are not two, but a single person, conjoined like soul and body, according to the doctrine received by the churches from the Athanasian Creed. Therefore to acknowledge the Divine in the Lord's Human, or the Divine Human, is the primary thing of the church, by which there is conjunction; and because it is the primary it is also the first thing of the church. It is because this is the first thing of the church, that the Lord, when He was in the world, so often said to those whom He healed, "Believest thou that I can do this?" and when they answered that they believed, He said, "Be it done according to thy faith." This He so often said that they might believe, in the first place, that from His Divine Human He had Divine omnipotence, for without that belief the church could not be begun, and without that belief they could not have been conjoined with the Divine, but must have been separated from it, and thus would not have been able to receive anything good from him.
[7] Afterwards the Lord taught how they were to be saved, namely, by receiving Divine truth from Him; and truth is received when it is applied to the life and implanted in it by doing it; therefore the Lord so often said that they should do His words. From this it can be seen that these two things, namely, believing in the Lord and doing His words, make one, and can by no means be separated; for he who does not do the Lord's words does not believe in Him; so also he who thinks that he believes in Him and does not do His words does not believe in Him, for the Lord is in His words, that is, in His truths, and by them He gives faith to man. From these few things it can be known that conjunction with the Divine is effected through the acknowledgment of the Lord and the reception of Divine truth from Him. This, therefore, is what is signified by "the Lamb redeeming us to God in His blood." That "the Lamb" signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above n. 314. (On this more may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-297, and in the quotations from Arcana Coelestia, n 300-306, as also at the end of that work, where the Lord is particularly treated of.)
That "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and "salvation by His blood" signifies by the reception of Divine truth from Him, will be explained in the following article.
[8] That "to redeem" signifies to deliver and to make free, and, in reference to the Lord, to deliver and free from hell, and thus to set apart and conjoin to Himself, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, walking in the multitude of his power? I that speak in righteousness, great to save. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed hath come. In all their straitness He was in straitness and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up and carried them all the days of eternity (Isaiah 63:1, 4, 9).
This treats of the Lord and His temptation-combats, by which He subjugated the hells. "Edom from which He cometh" signifies His Human, so also does "the angel of His faces." His Divine power from which He fought is signified by "walking in the multitude of His power;" the casting down into hell of those who rose up against Him and the elevation of the good into heaven is meant by "righteousness," thus by these words, "I that speak in righteousness, great to save. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed hath come." His Divine love from which He did these things is described by "In all their straitness He was in straitness, and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up and carried them all the days of eternity." From this it is clear that "the redeemed" and "those whom He redeemed" signify those whom He rescued from the fury of those who are from hell, and whom he saved.
[9] In the same:
Thus hath said Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine (294). "Jacob" and "Israel" signify those who are of the church, and are in truths from good.
[10] In the same:
Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and the wages of His work are before Him. And they shall call them a people of holiness, the redeemed of Jehovah (Isaiah 62:11-12).
This also treats of the Lord's coming, and the establishment of a church by Him. "Daughter of Zion" signifies the church which is in love to the Lord; His coming is meant by "Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and the wages of His work are before Him;" those who are reformed and regenerated by Him are meant by "the redeemed of Jehovah."
[11] These are called the "redeemed" because they have been freed from evils by regeneration, and are set apart by the Lord and are conjoined to Him. In the same:
No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein; but the redeemed shall go; and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with singing, and the gladness of eternity shall be upon their head (Isaiah 30:9-10).
This also treats of the Lord's coming, and the salvation of those who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord. That with such there shall not be falsity destroying truth nor evil destroying good, is signified by "No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein;" that such are delivered from evils and freed from falsities is signified by "the redeemed shall go; so shall the ransomed of Jehovah return;" their eternal happiness is signified by "they shall come to Zion with singing, and the gladness of eternity shall be upon their head," "Zion" meaning the church. What "singing" signifies see just above (n. Hosea 13:14; and in David, Psalms 69:18; 107:2)
[12] "To redeem" signifies to deliver from evils and to free from falsities, and also to deliver and free from hell, because all evils and falsities with man arise out of hell; and since the Lord removes these by reformation and regeneration, reformation and regeneration also are signified by "to redeem" or "redemption," as in the following passages.
[13] In David:
Rise up as a help to us, and ransom us for Thy mercy's sake (Psalms 44:26);
to "ransom" here meaning to free and to reform. In the same:
God hath ransomed my soul from the hand of hell; and He will accept me (Psalms 49:15).
"To ransom from the hand of hell" means to free; "to accept me" means to set apart and to conjoin to Himself, or to make His own, as servants sold and redeemed. In Hosea:
Out of the hand of hell will I ransom them; I will redeem them from death (Hosea 13:14).
"To redeem" meaning to deliver and free from damnation.
In David:
Bless Jehovah, O my soul, who hath redeemed thy life from the pit (Psalms 103:1, 4).
"To redeem from the pit" means to free from damnation; "the pit" meaning damnation. In the same:
Draw nigh unto my soul, redeem it, and because of my enemies ransom me (Psalms 69:18).
"To draw nigh to the soul" signifies to conjoin it to Himself; "to redeem it" signifies to deliver from evils; "because of my enemies ransom me" signifies to free from falsities, "enemies" meaning falsities. In the same:
Let the redeemed of Jehovah say, whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the distressing enemy (Psalms 107:2).
"The redeemed of Jehovah" means those who are delivered from evil; "whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the distressing enemy" means those whom He has freed from falsities. In Jeremiah:
I am with thee, to save thee and to rescue thee; and I will rescue thee out of the hand of the evil, and I will ransom thee out of the hand of the violent (Jeremiah 15:20-21).
"To ransom out of the hand of the violent" means to free from falsities that offer violence to the good of charity; the "violent" signifying such falsities, consequently those also who are in them.
[14] In David:
Let Israel hope in Jehovah, for with Jehovah there is mercy, and in Him is much ransom, and He shall ransom Israel out of all his iniquities (Psalms 130:7-8).
"Ransom" means liberation; "Israel" the church; and to reform those who are of the church and free them from falsities is signified by "He shall ransom Israel out of all his iniquities."
In the same:
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I have waited for thee. Ransom Israel, O God, out of all his distresses (Psalms 25:21-22).
"To ransom Israel out of distresses" means here also to free those who are of the church from falsities, which straiten.
In Isaiah:
Is My hand shortened, that there is no ransoming? or is there no power in Me to rescue? (Isaiah 50:2).
That "ransoming" means liberation is evident, for it is said also, "Is My hand shortened, or is there no power in Me to rescue." In David:
God shall hear my voice; He shall ransom my soul in peace (Psalms 55:17-18);
"to ransom" here means to free.
In the same:
Unto Thee will I sing psalms with the harp, Thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall praise; and my soul, which Thou hast ransomed (Psalms 71:22-23).
"To ransom the soul" means to free from falsities; for "soul" in the Word signifies the life of faith, and "heart" the life of love; therefore "to ransom the soul" signifies to free from falsities and to give the life of faith.
[15] In the same:
Ransom me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Thy precepts (Psalms 119:134).
"To ransom from the oppression of man" signifies to free from the falsities of evil, for "man" signifies the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom therefrom, and in the contrary sense, as here, the lust of falsity and insanity therefrom; the "oppression of man" signifies the destruction of truth by falsities.
In the same:
Into Thine hand I will commend my spirit; Thou hast ransomed me, O Jehovah, God of truth (Psalms 31:5);
"to ransom" means to free from falsities and to reform by means of truths; and because this is signified by "ransom" it is said, "O Jehovah, God of truth." In the same:
Crime is in the hands of sinners, and their right hand is full of a bribe. But as for me, I walk in mine integrity; ransom me, and be merciful unto me (Psalms 26:10-11);
"to ransom" meaning to free from falsities and to reform. In the same:
He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence; and precious shall their blood be in His eyes. And he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba; and He shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless them (Psalms 72:14-15).
The "needy" are here treated of, by whom those are signified who desire truths from spiritual affection; of these it is said that "He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence," which signifies liberation from falsities and evils that destroy the goods of love and the truths of faith; the reception of Divine truth by them is signified by "precious shall their blood be in His eyes;" their reformation is described "he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba; and He shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him;" "the gold of Sheba" is the good of charity; "to pray for him continually" signifies that they shall constantly be withheld from falsities and kept in truths; and "all the day shall He bless him" signifies that they shall constantly be in the good of charity and faith, for this is a Divine benediction; while to withhold from falsities and to keep in truths is "to pray for him continually."
[16] In Isaiah:
Thus said Jehovah, For nought ye have been sold, and not by silver shall ye be redeemed. My people went down into Egypt to sojourn there, but Assyria oppressed them for nought (Isaiah 52:3-4).
This treats of the desolation of truths by knowledges and by the reasonings of the natural man from them; for "My people went down into Egypt to sojourn there" signifies the instruction of the natural man in knowledges and cognitions of truth; "Egypt" signifies knowledges and also cognitions, but such as are from the sense of the letter of the Word; and "to sojourn" signifies to be instructed; "Assyria oppressed them for nought" signifies the falsification of knowledges by the reasonings of the natural man; "Assyria" signifying reasonings, and "to oppress for nought" falsifications, for falsities are nought because there is nothing of truth in them. Knowledges are thus falsified when the natural man separate from the spiritual forms conclusions; this is why it is said, "For nought ye have been sold, and not by silver shall ye be redeemed;" "for nought to be sold" signifies from self or from the selfhood to alienate oneself from falsities and renounce them; and "not by silver to be redeemed" signifies that one cannot be delivered by means of truth from the falsities of evil; "silver" signifying truth, and "to be redeemed" signifying to be delivered from the falsities of evil and to be reformed.
[17] In Zechariah:
I will bring them together, because I will ransom them; and then shall they be multiplied; I will sow them among the peoples; and I will bring them back out of the land, and will bring them together out of Assyria; and I will lead them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon (Zechariah 10:8-10).
This treats of the restoration of the church, and reformation by means of truth from good; and "I will bring them together, because I will ransom them" signifies the dispersion of falsities and reformation by means of truths; therefore it is said, "they shall be multiplied, and I will sow them among the peoples," which signifies the multiplication and insemination of truth from good; "to bring them back out of the land of Egypt, and to bring them together out of Assyria" signifies (as above) to withdraw them from the falsifying of truth that they are in by their reasonings from knowledges; "to lead them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon" signifies to the good of the church, which is the good of charity, and to the good and truth of faith; the former is "the land of Gilead" and the latter "Lebanon. "
[18] From this it can be seen what is signified in the spiritual sense by Jehovah's "leading the people out of Egypt" and "ransoming them," as in Moses:
I will rescue you from bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments (Exodus 6:6).
I led you out of Egypt with a stretched-out arm, and I ransomed you out of the house of bondmen (Deuteronomy 7:8; 9:26-29; 13:5; 15:15; 24:18).
Thou in Thy mercy hast led Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast guided them in the strength of Thy hand to the habitation of Thy holiness (Exodus 15:13).
And in Micah:
I made thee to go up out of the land of Egypt, and ransomed thee out of the house of bondage (Micah 6:4).
This means in the sense of the letter that they were led by the Divine power out of Egypt, where they had been made bondmen; but in the internal or spiritual sense no such thing is meant, but it means that those who are of the church, that is, those that are reformed by the Lord by means of truths and a life according to them, are delivered and freed from evils and from the falsities thence, for these are the things that make man a bondsman; this is the spiritual sense of these words, and in this sense are the angels when man is in the sense of the letter.
[19] Moreover, by "redemption" the angels understand deliverance from evils and liberation from falsities in the following passages. In Moses:
I will put a ransom between My people and Pharaoh's people (Exodus 8:23).
In David:
He hath sent a ransom unto His people; He hath commanded His covenant for ever; holy and fearful is His name (Psalms 111:9).
In Matthew:
What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, but shall cause the loss of his soul? or what price shall a man give sufficient for the redemption of his soul? (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36-37);
"redemption" here meaning deliverance from damnation.
[20] From this it can be seen what the Lord's redeeming mankind signifies, namely, that He delivered and freed them from hell and from the evils and falsities that continually rise up therefrom and bring man into condemnation, and that He continually delivers them and frees them. This deliverance and liberation was effected by His subjugating the hells; and the continual deliverance and liberation by His glorifying His Human, that is, making it Divine, for thereby He keeps the hells continually subjugated; this, therefore is what is signified by His redeeming man, and by His being called in the Word "Redeemer," as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Fear not, thou worm of Jacob, and ye mortals of Israel; I am He that helpeth thee, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 41:14).
Thus said Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, because of Jehovah who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee (Isaiah 49:7).
Our Redeemer is Jehovah of Hosts, His name the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 47:4).
Thus said Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 43:14).
That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (Isaiah 49:26).
That thou mayest know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (Isaiah 60:16).
By the "Holy One of Israel," and the "Mighty One of Jacob," who is here called "Redeemer," is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and by "Jehovah" is meant His Divine Itself. The Lord in respect to His Divine Human is called "the Holy One of Israel," and "the Mighty One of Jacob," and the "Strong One of Jacob," because "Israel" and "Jacob" signify the church, thus those who are regenerated and reformed, that is, redeemed by the Lord, for these alone are of the church, that is, constitute the church of the Lord.
[21] That the Lord's Divine Human is what is called "the Holy One" is evident in Luke:
The angel said unto Mary, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore the Holy Thing born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).
And that the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is "the Strong One of Jacob," and the "Mighty One of Jacob;" in the same:
The angel said unto Mary, Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and bring forth a Son. He shall be great, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:30-33).
"The house of Jacob" evidently means the Lord's church, not the Jewish nation.
[22] Because the Lord's Human was equally Divine with His Divine Itself that took on the Human, Jehovah is called "the Redeemer" in the following passages.
In Isaiah:
Thus said Jehovah thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jehovah thy God (Isaiah 48:17).
Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel the God of the whole earth shall He be called (Isaiah 54:5).
In David:
O Jehovah, my 1Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:14).
In Jeremiah:
Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah of Hosts is His name (Jeremiah 50:34).
In Isaiah:
Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father, our Redeemer; from everlasting is Thy 2name (The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-297, 300-306).
328. "Quia occisus es, et redemisti Deo nos in sanguine tuo." - Quod significet separationem omnium a Divino, et conjunctionem cum Divino per agnitionem Ipsius et per receptionem Divini Veri ab Ipso, constat ex significatione "occisi", cum de Domino, quod sit separatio omnium aDivino; per "occidi" enim in Verbo significatur spiritualiter occidi, hoc est, perire ex malis et falsis (ut ostensum videatur supra, n. 315); et quia Dominus etiam apud illos non est, negatur enim, ideo per "occisum", cum de Domino, significatur non agnitus (ut supra, n. 315), et quoque negatus; et cum negatur Dominus, est quasi occisus apud illos, et illi per id separati a Divino; nam qui negant Dominum, hoc est, Divinum Ipsius, illi se prorsus separant a Divino: (Ipse enim est Deus universi, et Ipse est unum cum Patre, ac Pater in Ipso et Ipse in Patre, et nemo venit ad Patrem nisi per Ipsum, ut Ipse Dominus docet; quapropter separati sunt prorsus a Divino illi in ecclesia qui non agnoscunt Divinum Ipsius, et magis qui corde negant Illud;
[2] negare Illud hic intelligitur per occidere Ipsum apud se; hoc etiam in sensu interno Verbi intelligitur per quod crucifixerint Dominum, videatur supra, n. 83, 195(c); nam Judaei, apud quos tunc ecclesia fuit, negaverunt Ipsum esse Christum, et per id se separaverunt a Divino, et ideo morti dederunt Ipsum seu crucifixerunt; etiam hodie illi id faciunt qui Divinum Ipsius negant; unde communis praedicatorum sermo est quod qui malam vitam agunt et blasphemant Ipsum, crucifigant Ipsum apud se; hoc itaque est quod hic significatur per "occisus es": -) et ex significatione "redemisti Deo nos in sanguine tuo", quod sit quod conjunxerit nos Divino per agnitionem Ipsius, et per receptionem Divini Veri ab Ipso; "redimere" enim significat liberare ab Inferno, et per id illos Sibi appropriare, et sic conjungere Divino, constabit ex locis in Verbo ubi "redimere" et "redemptio" dicitur, quae infra adducentur; et "sanguis Domini" significat Divinum Verum procedens ab Ipso; et quia homo per receptionem Divini Veri a Domino, liberatur ab Inferno, et conjungitur Ipsi, ideo per "Redemisti Deo nos in sanguine tuo", significatur conjunctio cum Divino per receptionem Divini Veri ab Ipso.
[3] Quod hic sensus in illis verbis lateat, nemo videre potest qui in solo sensu litterae manet; nam in eo sensu non aliud videri potest quam quod per "occisus es" intelligatur crucifixus, et per "redemisti nos in sanguine tuo" intelligatur quod reconciliaverit nos Patri suo per Passionem crucis; et quia ille sensus est sensus litterae, et hactenus ignotum fuit quod singulis Verbi sensus internus qui spiritualis insit, ideo ex illo sensu, nempe sensu litterae, doctrinam ecclesiae illam fecerunt quod Ipsum Divinum, quod Patrem vocant, rejecerit a Se totum genus humanum, et quod Dominus perPassionem crucis reconciliaverit, et sic quod salventur illi pro quibus intercedit. Quis non, cui aliquis intellectus illustratus est, videre potest quod hoc doctrinale sit contra Ipsum Divinum? Ipsum Divinum enim nusquam rejicit aliquem hominem a Se, amat enim omnes, et inde vult omnium salutem; et quoque contra ipsum Divinum est reconciliari per effusionem sanguinis, et in misericordiam redigi per intuitionem Passionis crucis quam sustinuit Ipsius Filius, et quod inde sit Ipsi misericordia et non a Se Ipso; et tametsi hoc est contra essentiam Divinam, usque id credere vocant ipsam fidem seu fidem justificantem.
[4] Quis etiam ex ratione illustrata cogitare potest quod totius mundi peccata in Dominum translata fuerint, et ab unoquovis qui solum illam fidem habet ablata sint? Sed sit quod haec doctrina sit apud illos qui non ultra sensum litterae cogitant, at usque angeli, qui apud homines sunt, non percipiunt illa secundum eum sensum, verum secundum sensum spiritualem; sunt enim spirituales, et inde spiritualiter et non naturaliter cogitant: hi per "redimere hominem in sanguine suo", percipiunt liberare hominem ab inferno, et sic addicare et conjungere illum Sibi per agnitionem Ipsius et per receptionem Divini Veri ab Ipso. Quod ita sit, etiam ecclesia scire potest; nam scire potest quod nemo per sanguinem conjungatur Divino, sed per receptionem Divini Veri et applicationem ejus ad vitam.
[5] Quod Dominus liberaverit ab inferno, factum est per quod assumpserit Humanum, et per Id subjugaverit inferna, et omnia in caelis in ordinem redegerit, quod fieri nequaquam potuit quam ex Humano; nam Divinum operatur a primis per ultima, ita a Se per illa quae a Se in ultimis sunt, quae sunt in Humano; haec est operatio Divinae potentiae in caelo et in mundo. (Sed de hac re videantur aliqua supra, n. 41: tum in opere De Caelo et Inferno 315; et in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548.) Quod Dominus liberaverit ab inferno, etiam factum est per quod Humanum suum glorificaverit, hoc est, Divinum fecerit; sic enim, non aliter, potest inferna in aeternum subjugata tenere: et quia subjugatio infernorum et glorificatio Humani IpSius facta est per tentationes in Humanum suum admissas, Passio crucis Ipsius fuit ultima tentatio et plenaria victoria. Per quod "portaverit omnium peccata", significatur quod admiserit in Se omnia inferna cum tentatus; inde enim omnia peccata seu mala ascendunt, ac intrant et sunt apud hominem; quare per quod "portaverit" illa significatur quod admiserit in Se inferna cum tentatus, et per quod "sustulerit peccata" significatur quod subjugaverit inferna, ut inde mala non amplius possint assurgere apud illos qui agnoscunt Dominum, ac recipiunt Ipsum, hoc est, Divinum Verum procedens ab Ipso, fide et vita, et sic Domino conjuncti sunt.
Dicitur quod per "Redemisti Deo nos in sanguine tuo", significetur conjunctio cum Divino per agnitionem Ipsius et receptionem Divini Veri ab Ipso; et quia super hoc fundatur ecclesia, volo paucis dicere quomodo fit conjunctio per illa.
[6] Primarium est agnoscere Dominum, Ipsius Divinum in Humano, ac omnipotentiam Ipsius salvandi genus humanum; per illam enim agnitionem conjungitur homo Divino, quoniam alibi Divinum non est; ibi enim est Pater, nam Pater est in Ipso et Ipse in Patre, ut Ipse Dominus docet; quapropter qui aliud Divinum juxta Ipsum seu a latere spectant, ut solent illi qui orant Patrem ut misereatur propter Filium, hi deflectunt a via, et adorant Divinum alibi quam in Ipso; ac praeterea tunc nihil cogitant de Divino Domini, sed solum de Humano, quae tamen non separari possunt, est enim Divinum et Humanum non duo sed unica Persona, conjuncta sicut anima et corpus, secundum doctrinam ab ecclesiis receptam ex Fide Athanasiana. Quare agnoscere Divinum in Humano Domini, seu Divinum Humanum, est primarium ecclesiae, per quod conjunctio; et quia primarium, est etiam primum ecclesiae. Quoniam hoc primum ecclesiae est, ideo Dominus cum in mundo fuit toties dixit illis quos sanavit, "Credisne quod hoc possim facere?" et cum responderunt quod crederent, dixit, "Fiat secundum fidem tuam." Hoc toties dixit ut primum crederent quod Ipsi ex Divino Humano suo esset Divina omnipotentia; nam absque illa fide non incohari potuit ecclesia; et absque illa fide non conjuncti Divino fuissent, sed separati ab illo, et sic nihil boni ab Ipso recipere potuissent.
[7] Postea docuit Dominus quomodo salvarentur, quod nempe reciperent Divinum Verum ab Ipso, et hoc recipitur quando applicatur et implantatur vitae per facere illud; ideo Dominus toties dixit quod facerent verba Ipsius. Ex his constare potest quod duo illa, nempe credere in Dominum et facere verba Ipsius, unum faciant, et quod nullatenus separari possint; nam qui non facit verba Domini is non credit in Ipsum; tum qui putat se credere in Ipsum et non facit verba Ipsius, nec credit in Ipsum; est enim Dominus in suis verbis, hoc est, in suis veris, et ex illis dat Dominus homini fidem. Ex his paucis sciri potest quod conjunctio cum Divino sit per agnitionem Domini et per receptionem Divini Veri ab Ipso: hoc itaque est quod significatur per quod "Agnus redemerit Deo nos in sanguine suo"; quod per "Agnum" significetur Dominus quoad Divinum Humanum, videatursupra (n. 314). (Plura de his videantur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 293-297; et [in collectis] ex Arcanis Caelestibus, ibi, n. 300-306; ut et ad finem hujus operis, ubi De Domino in specie agetur.
Quod "sanguis" significet Divinum Verum procedens a Domino, et quod salvatio per "sanguinem Ipsius" significet per receptionem Divini Veri ab Ipso, in sequente articulo dicetur.
[8] Quod autem "redimere" significet vindicare et liberare, et cum de Domino, vindicare et liberare ab inferno, et sic addicare et conjungere Sibi, constare potest a locis sequentibus:
Apud Esaiam,
"Quis venit ex Edom, .... incedens in multitudine roboris sui? Ego qui loquor in justitia, magnus ad salvandum; .... nam dies vindictae in corde meo, et annus redemptorum meorum venit: .... in omni angustia eorum Ipsi angustia, et Angelus facierum Ipsius servavit eos, ob amorem suum et clementiam suam Hic redemit eos, et assumpsit eos, et portabit eos omnibus diebus aeternitatis" (63:1, 4, 9);
agitur ibi de Domino et de pugnis tentationum Ipsius per quas subjugavit inferna: per "Edom" ex quo venit, significatur Humanum Ipsius, similiter per "Angelum facierum Ipsius"; Ipsius Divina potentia ex qua pugnavit, significatur per "incedens in multitudine roboris sui": dejectio eorum in infernum qui insurgebant, et elevatio bonorum in caelum, intelligitur per "justitiam, ita per haec verba, "Ego qui loquor in justitia, magnus ad salvandum, nam dies vindictae in corde meo, et annus redemptorum meorum venit": Divinus Ipsius Amor ex quo illa fecit, describitur per "In omni angustia eorum Ipsi angustia, et Angelus facierum Ipsius servavit eos, ob amorem suum et clementiam suam Hic redemit eos, et assumpsit eos, et portabit eos omnibus diebus aeternitatis": inde patet quod per "redemptos" et per "eos quos redemit", significentur quos vindicavit a furore eorum qui ab inferno et salvavit.
[9] Apud eundem,
"Sic dixit" Jehovah, "Creator tuus, Jacob, et Formator tuus, Israel, [Ne timeto,] nam redemi te, vocavi nomine tuo, Mihi tu" (43:1);
quod per "redimere" significetur liberare ab inferno, et addicare ac conjungere Sibi ut Ipsius sint, patet, nam dicitur "Redemi te, vocavi nomine tuo, Mihi tu"; quia hoc fit per reformationem et regenerationem a Domino, ideo dicitur, Jehovah "Creator tuus, Jacob, et Formator tuus, Israel"; "Creator" vocatur quia per "creare" in Verbo significatur regenerare (videatur supra, n. 294); "Jacob" et "Israel" significant illos qui ab ecclesia, et in veris ex bono sunt.
[10] Apud eundem,
"Dicite filiae Zionis, Ecce salus tua venit, ecce merces Ipsius cum Illo, et pretium operae coram Ipso; et vocabunt illos, Populus sanctitatis, redempti Jehovae" (62:11, 12);
hic etiam agitur de adventu Domini, et de instauratione ecclesiae ab Ipso: "filia Zionis" significat ecclesiam quae in amore in Dominum est; adventus Ipsius intelligitur per "Ecce salus tua venit, ecce merces Ipsius cum Illo, et pretium operae coram Ipso"; reformati et regenerati ab Ipso intelliguntur per "redemptos Jehovae;"
[11] quod illi dicantur "redempti" est quia illi per regenerationem liberati sunt a malis, et addicati ac conjuncti Domino.
Apud eundem,
"Non erit leo, et rapax ferarum .... non invenietur in ea, sed ibunt redempti; sic redempti Jehovae revertentur et venient Zionem cum cantu, [et] gaudium aeternitatis super capite eorum" (35:9, 10);
etiam ibi agitur de adventu Domini, et de salvatione illorum qui se a Domino regenerari patiuntur: quod non apud illos erit falsum destruens verum, ac malum destruens bonum, significatur per quod "non erit leo", et quod "rapax ferarum non invenietur in ea"; quod sint vindicati a malis et liberati a falsis, significatur per "Ibunt redempti, sic redempti Jehovae revertentur"; felicitas aeterna illis significatur per "Venient Zionem cum cantu, et gaudium aeternitatis super capite eorum"; "Zion" est ecclesia; quid "cantus" significat, videatur mox supra (n. 326 (a, b)). Sunt binae voces in lingua originali per quas exprimitur "redimere"; una significat vindicationem a malis, altera liberationem a falsis; hae binae voces ibi sunt; unde dicitur, "Ibunt redempti", et "Redempti Jehovae revertentur." (Similiter illae binae voces apud Hoscheam, cap. 13:14; apud Davidem, 69:19 [B.A. 18); et Psalms 107:2.)
[12] Quod "redimere" significet vindicare a malis et liberare a falsis, et quoque vindicare et liberare ab inferno, est quia ex inferno omnia mala et falsa apud hominem exsurgunt; quae quia per reformationem et regenerationem a Domino removentur, etiam reformatio et regeneratio per "redimere" seu per "redemptionem" significatur, ut in sequentibus his locis:
[13] - Apud Davidem,
"Surge in auxilium nobis, et redime nos propter misericordiam tuam" (Psalms 44:27 [B.A. 26]);
"redimere" pro liberare et reformare.
Apud eundem,
"Deus redemit animam meam e manu inferni, et acceptabit me" (Psalms 49:16 [B.A. 15]);
"redimere e manu inferni" pro liberare; "acceptare me" pro Sibi addicare et conjungere, seu facere ut Ipsius sint, sicut servi venditi et redempti.
Apud Hoscheam,
"E manu inferni redimam eos, e morte redimam eos" (13:14);
"redimere" pro vindicare et liberare a damnatione.
Apud Davidem,
"Benedic, anima mea, Jehovae, .... qui redemit a fovea vitam tuam" (Psalms 103:1, 4);
"redimere a fovea", pro liberare a damnatione ("fovea" est damnatio).
Apud eundem,
"Appropinqua ad animam meam, redime eam, et propter inimicos redime me" (Psalms 69:19 [B.A. 18]);
"appropinquare ad animam" significat conjungere illam Sibi; "redimere eam" significat vindicare a malis; "propter inimicos redime me" significat liberare a falsis ("inimici sunt falsa).
Apud eundem,
Dicant redempti Jehovae, quos redemit e manu hostis angustantis" (Psalms 107:2);
"redempti Jehovae" pro illis qui vindicati a malis; "quos redemit e manu hostis angustantis" pro illis quos liberavit a falsis.
Apud Jeremiam,
"Tecum Ego ad servandum te, et ad eripiendum te, .... et eripiam te e manu malorum, et redimam te e manu violentorum" (15:20, 21);
"redimere e manu violentorum", pro liberare ex falsis quae violentiam inferunt bono charitatis; "violenti" significant illa falsa, proinde etiam illos qui in iis sunt.
[14] Apud Davidem,
"Speret Israel super Jehovah, quia cum Jehovah misericordia, et in Ipso plurimum redemptionis, et Ille redimet Israelem ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus" (Psalms 130:7, 8);
"redemptio" pro liberatione, "Israel" pro ecclesia; reformare et liberare a falsis illos qui ab ecclesia sunt, significatur per "Ille redimet Israelem ab omnibus iniquitatibus ejus." Apud eundem,
"Integritas et rectitudo custodiant me, quia exspectavi Te; redime, Deus, Israelem ex omnibus angustiis ejus" (Psalm. 25 [21,] 22, 22);
"redimere Israelem ex angustiis" etiam hic pro liberare illos qui ab ecclesia ex falsis quae angustant.
Apud Esaiam,
"Num abbreviata est manus mea, ut non sit redemptio? aut num non in Me virtus ad eripiendum? (50:2);
quod "redemptio" sit liberatio patet, nam dicitur etiam, "Num abbreviata est manus mea? aut num non in Me virtus ad eripiendum?" Apud Davidem,
Deus "exaudiet vocem meam, redimet cum pace animam meam " (Psalms 55:18, 19);
"redimere" pro liberare.
Apud eundem,
"Canam Tibi cithara, Sancte Israelis, laudabunt labia mea, .... et anima mea quam redemisti" (Psalm. 71 [22,] 23);
"redimere animam" pro liberare a falsis; per "animam" enim in Verbo significatur vita fidei, et per "cor" vita amoris; quare "redimere animam" significat liberare a falsis et dare vitam fidei.
[15] Apud eundem,
"Redime me ab oppressione hominis, ut custodiam mandata tua" (Psalms 119:134);
"redimere ab oppressione hominis" significat liberare a falsis mali, "homo" enim significat affectionem veri spiritualem et inde sapientiam, et in opposito sensu, ut hic, cupidinem falsi et inde insaniam; "oppressio" ejus significat destructionem veri per falsa.
Apud eundem,
"In manum tuam commendabo spiritum meum; redemeras me Jehovah Deus veritatis" (Psalms 31:6 [B.A. 5]);
"redimere" pro liberare a falsis et reformare per vera; quia hoc per "redimere" significatur, ideo etiam dicitur "Jehovah Deus veritatis." Apud eundem,
In" peccatorum "manibus facinus, et dextra eorum plena est munere; ego vero in integritate mea incedo, redime et miserere mei " (Psalms 26:10, 11);
"redimere" pro liberare a falsis et reformare.
Apud eundem,
"A dolo et violentia redimet animam eorum, et pretiosus erit sanguis eorum in oculis Ipsius, et vivet et dabit illi de auro Schebae, et orabit pro illo jugiter, omni die benedicet illi" (Psalms 72:14, 15);
agitur hic de "egenis", per quos significantur qui desiderant vera ex affectione spirituali; de his dicitur quod "a dolo et violentia redimet animam eorum", per quod significatur liberatio a malis et falsis quae destruunt bona amoris et vera fidei; receptio Divini Veri ab illis significatur per "pretiosus erit sanguis eorum in oculis Ipsius"; reformatio eorum describitur per quod "vivet et dabit illi de auro Schebae, et orabit pro illo jugiter, omni die benedicet illi"; "aurum Schebae" est bonum charitatis, "orare pro illo jugiter" significat quod continuo detinebuntur a falsis et tenebuntur in veris, et "omni die benedicet illi" significat quod continuo erunt in bono charitatis et fidei, hoc enim est "benedictio" Divina, et illud est "orare pro illo jugiter."
[16] Apud Esaiam,
"Sic dixit Jehovah, Gratis venditi estis, et non per argentum redimemini;.... in Aegyptum descendit populus meus ad peregrinandum ibi, sed Aschur nihilo oppressit eum" (52:3, 4);
agitur hic de desolatione veri per scientifica, et per ratiocinia naturalis hominis ex illis; nam 1
per quod "in Aegyptum descendit populus meus ad peregrinandum ibi" significatur instructio naturalis hominis per scientifica et per cognitiones veri"; "Aegyptus" significat scientifica et quoque cognitiones, sed quales sunt ex sensu litterae Verbi, et "peregrinari" significat instrui: per quod "Aschur nihilo oppressit eos" significatur falsificatio illarum per ratiocinia naturalis hominis; "Aschur" significat ratiocinia, et "nihilo opprimere" significat falsificationem; falsa enim sunt nihil quia nihil veri in illis, quod fit cum naturalis homo separatus a spirituali concludit: inde est quod praemittatur, "Gratis venditi estis, et non per argentum redimemini"; "gratis vendi" significat ex se ipso seu ex proprio abalienare se et abdicare falsis; et "non per argentum redimi" significat quod non per verum possint a falsis mali vindicari ("argentum" significat verum, et "redimi" significat vindicari a falsis mali et reformari).
[17] Apud Sachariam,
"Congregabo eos quia redimam eos, tunc multiplicabuntur et seminabo eos in populis et reducam eos e terra [Aegypti] , et ex Assyria congregabo eos; et ad terram Gileadis, et ad Libanum adducam eos" (10:8-10);
agitur hic de ecclesiae restauratione ac reformatione per vera ex bono; et per "Congregabo eos quia redimam eos" significatur dissipatio falsorum, ac reformatio per vera; quare dicitur", Multiplicabuntur et seminabo eos in populis", per quod significatur multiplicatio et inseminatio veri ex bono: "reducere e terra Aegypti et ex Assyria congregare eos" significat abduci a falsificatione veri quae illis per ratiocinia ex scientificis (ut supra): "adducere eos ad terram Gileadis, et ad Libanum", significat ad bonum ecclesiae quod est bonum charitatis, et ad bonum et verum fidei; hoc est "Libanus", et illud "terra Gileadis."
[18] Ex his constare potest quid in sensu spirituali significatur per quod Jehovah "eduxerit populum ex Aegypto" ac "redemerit eos":
-Ut apud Mosen,
"Liberabo vos a servitute, et redimam vos brachio extenso et judiciis magnis" (Exodus 6:6);
Eduxi vos ex Aegypto brachio extenso, et redemi vos e domo servorum (Deutr. [7:8; cap.] 9:26-29; 13:6[5] ; cap. 15:15; 24:18):
"Duxisti in misericordia populum tuum quem redemisti, et deduxisti in fortitudine manus tuae ad habitaculum sanctitatis tuae" (Exodus 15:13);
et apud Micham,
"Ascendere feci te e terra Aegypti, et e domo servitutis redemi te" (6:4):
in sensu litterae hic intelligitur quod ex Divina potentia educti fuerint ex Aegypto, ubi servi facti; at in sensu interno seu spirituali non tale intelligitur, sed quod illi qui ab ecclesia sunt, qui sunt qui reformantur a Domino per vera et per vitam secundum illa, vindicati et liberati sint ex malis et inde falsis, haec enim sunt quae faciunt hominem servum. Hic spiritualis illorum verborum sensus est, in quo sunt angeli quando homo est in sensu litterae.
[19] Angeli etiam per "redemptionem" intelligunt vindicationem a malis et liberationem a falsis in his locis:
Apud Mosen,
Ponam redemptionem inter populum meum et inter populum" Pharaonis (Exodus 8:19[23]):
apud Davidem,
Redemptionem misit populo suo, praecepit in aeternum foedus suum, sanctum et venerandum nomen Ipsius" (Psalms 111:9):
apud Matthaeum,
"Quid prodest homini si totum mundum lucratus fuerit, animae autem jacturam fecerit? et quid dabit homo pretium sufficiens redemptionis animae suae?" (16:26; Marc. 8 [36,] 37, 37);
"redemptio" pro liberatione a damnatione.
[20] Ex his constare potest quid significat quod Dominus redemerit humanum genus, nempe quod vindicaverit et liberaverit illos ab inferno, et malis et falsis quae continue inde exsurgunt, ac hominem in damnationem ferunt; et quod continue vindicet illos et liberet illos: quod vindicaverit et liberaverit, factum est per quod subjugaverit inferna; et quod continue vindicet et liberet, per quod Humanum suum glorificaverit, hoc est, Divinum fecerit, per id enim inferna continuo subjugata tenet: hoc itaque est quod significatur per quod redemerit hominem, et per quod in Verbo appelletur "Redemptor", ut in sequentibus his locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Ne timeto, vermis Jacobi, moribundi Israelis; Ego adjuvo te, .... et Redemptor tuus Sanctus Israelis" (41:14);
apud eundem,
"Sic dixit Jehovah, Redemptor Israelis, Sanctus Ipsius, .... propter Jehovam qui fidelis, Sanctum Israelis qui elegit te" (49:7);
apud eundem,
"Redemptor noster Jehovah Zebaoth, nomen Ipsius Sanctus Israelis" ( 2
47:4);
apud eundem,
"Sic dixit Jehovah Redemptor 3
Vester, Sanctus Israelis" (43:14);
apud eundem,
"Ut sciant omnis caro quod Ego Jehovah, Salvator tuus, et Redemptor tuus, fortis Jacobi" (49:26);
apud eundem,
Ut scias "quod Ego Jehovah, Salvator tuus, et Redemptor tuus potens Jacobi" (60:16)
per "Sanctum Israelis" et per "fortem Jacobi", qui in illis locis vocatur "Redemptor", intelligitur Dominus quoad Divinum Humanum, et per "Jehovam" ipsum Divinum Ipsius. Quod Dominus quoad Divinum Humanum nominetur "Sanctus Israelis", ac "fortis" et "potens Jacobi", est quia per "Israelem" et "Jacobum" significatur ecclesia, ita illi qui regenerati et reformati, hoc est, redempti sunt a Domino; nam hi solum ab ecclesia sunt, seu faciunt ecclesiam Domini.
[21] Quod Divinum Humanum Domini sit quod Vocatur "Sanctum", patet apud Lucam,
Angelus dixit Mariae, "Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit te; propterea quod nascetur a te Sanctum, vocabitur Filius Dei" (1:35);
et quod Dominus quoad Divinum Humanum sit "fortis" et "potens Jacobi", apud eundem,
Angelus dixit ad Mariam, "Ecce concipies in utero et paries Filium; .... Hic erit magnus, .... et regnabit in domo Jacobi in aeternum, et regni Ipsius non erit finis" (1 [30,] 31-33);
per "domum Jacobi" intelligitur ecclesia Domini; quod non gens Judaica, patet.
[22] Quoniam Humanum Domini aeque Divinum fuit ac ipsum Divinum Ipsius quod assumpsit Humanum, ideo etiam dicitur Jehovah "Redemptor" in sequentibus locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Sic dixit Jehovah Redemptor tuus, Sanctus Israelis, Ego Jehovah Deus tuus" (48:17);
apud eundem,
Jehovah Zebaoth Nomen Ipsius, et Redemptor tuus, Sanctus Israelis, Deus totius terrae vocabitur" (54:5);
apud Davidem,
"Jehovah Petra 4
mea et Redemptor mi" (Psalms 19:15 [B.A. 14]);
apud Jeremiam,
"Redemptor eorum fortis, Jehovah Zebaoth nomen Ipsius" (50:34);
apud Esaiam,
"Tu Jehovah Pater noster, Redemptor noster, a saeculo nomen 5
tuum" (63:16) 6
.
Ex his nunc constare potest quomodo intelligendum est quod Dominus dixit,
Venit Filius hominis "ut det animam redemptionem pro multis" (Matthaeus 20:28; Marcus 10:45);
quod nempe ut vindicentur et liberentur ab inferno; Passio enim crucis fuit ultima pugna et plenaria victoria, qua subjugavit inferna et qua glorificavit Humanum suum (videatur Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 293-297, et 300-306).
Footnotes:
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6. The editors made a correction or note here.