doctrine, as well as evils of life, are of permission, concerning which see The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Providence, n. 234-274, 275–285, 296: by the image of the beast, that doctrine is signified, n. 601; by giving life to the image of the beast, is signified to confirm it from the Word, for there is no spirit and life to any doctrine of the church from any other source; that the image of the beast might speak, signifies that so it may seem to have life when it is taught. The true reason why this is meant by giving spirit to the image of the beast, that it might speak, is, because in every particular of the Word there is spirit and life, for the Lord spake the Word, therefore he himself is in it, and he so spake the Word as that every thing therein should have communication with heaven, and through heaven with himself, there being a spiritual sense in it, whereby communication is effected; wherefore the Lord says, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life," John vi. 63.

603. "And cause, that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed," signifies, that they denounce damnation against those who do not acknowledge their doctrine of faith to be the holy doctrine. of the church. To worship the image of the beast signifies to acknowledge their doctrine of faith as holy church doctrine; for by worshiping is signified to acknowledge as. a sacred principle of the church, n. 579, 580, 588, 597, and by the image of the beast is signified the doctrine, n. 601; by being killed is signified to be killed spiritually, which is to be damned, n. 325, and elsewhere; and as being killed signifies to be damned, it also signifies to be declared a heretic, and excluded from the communion with the church, for such a one, in their eyes, is considered as damned. This is done by the learned among the clergy, who have imbibed the mysteries of justification in schools and universities, especially they who are puffed up with a conceit of their own erudition in such things; these condemn all who do not think as they do, and so far as they dare, they fulminate against them. This I can declare, that they who have imbibed these mysteries, and

were in consequence in the pride of erudition, are so inveterate in the spiritual world against those who worship the Lord only, and do not acknowledge faith alone as the sole means of salvation, that they burn with wrath and fury when they see them, and also when they feel at a distance the divine sphere of the Lord and a sphere of charity encompassing them. Since they are such, the dragon is therefore described as a most inveterate enemy to them, as that he "stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed," Apoc. xii. 4, 15, 17. That "out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet," there came forth three unclean spirits like frogs, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, Apoc. xvi. 13-16, the same in chap. xix. 19, 20, and xx. 8, 9, 10; as also, that the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit slew the two witnesses, and cast out their bodies into the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, and suffered not their dead bodies to be put into graves, Apoc. xi. 7, 8, 9: by not suffering them to be put into graves is signified to reject them as condemned, n. 506.

604. "And he caused all, both small and great, and rich and poor, free and bond," signifies, all in that church whatsoever may be their condition, learning, and intelligence. By small and great are here meant they who are in a greater or lesser degree of dignity, thus of whatever condition; by rich and poor are meant they who are more or less in knowledges and sciences, n. 206, thus of whatever degree of learning; by free and bond are meant they whose wisdom is from themselves and they whose wisdom is from others, n. 337, thus of whatever degree of intelligence; therefore by all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, are meant all in that church whatever may be their condition, learning, and

intelligence. These are the things that are understood in the spiritual sense.

605. "To receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads," signifies, that no one is acknowledged to be a reformed Christian unless he receives that doctrine in faith and love. By receiving a mark is signified to be acknowledged to be a reformed Christian, or of the confession which that doctrine teaches; a mark denotes such acknowledgment and confession; by the right hand is signified the all of man as to intellectual power, thus as to faith, for the right hand signifies the power of man, n. 457; by the forehead is signified the all of man as to voluntary power, thus as to love, for the forehead signifies love, n. 347.

606. "And that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark, or name of the beast, or the number of his name," signifies, that it is not lawful for any one to teach from the Word, nor consequently to be inaugurated into the priesthood, honored with the magisterial laurel, invested with the doctor's cap, and called orthodox, unless he acknowledges that doctrine, and swears to the belief and love thereof, or, of that which is in agreement, or, of that which is not at variance with it. By buying and selling, is signified to acquire knowledges, here such as belong to that doctrine, and to teach them, as will appear presently; by a mark is signified the acknowledgment of being a reformed Christian, and confession that he is so, n. 605, by the name of the beast is signified the quality of the doctrine, by name the quality, n. 81, 122, 165, 584, and by the beast is signified the doctrine received by the laity, consequently by the community at large, n. 567, and as it is said, or the name of the beast, that which is in agreement with it and its quality is signified: by number is signified the quality of a thing, n. 448, and because it is said, or the number of his name, that which is not at variance with it and its quality is signified. It is so said, because the doctrine which is signified by the dragon and his beast, varies in the different kingdoms, in which the Reformed Church exists; whilst it is the same as to this chief or leading tenet, THAT FAITH WITH

OUT THE WORKS OF THE LAW JUSTIFIES AND SAVES.

That to buy and sell signifies to procure knowledges, and teach them, in like manner to merchandise, trade and gain, appears from the following passages: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, core, buy wine and milk without money and without price," Isaiah lv. 1. "Ye have sold yourselves for nought, and ye shall be redeemed without money," Isaiah lii. 3. "With thy wisdom and with thine understanding hast thou gotten thee riches, and by thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches," Ezek. xxviii. 5. Since by Tyre is signified the church as to the knowledges of things good and true, therefore it is said of Tyre," All the ships of the sea were to carry on thy merchandise: Tarshish was thy merchant in silver: Javan, Tubal, and Mesheck, they were thy merchants, they traded in persons of men: Syria was thy merchant in emeralds: thy riches, thy traffic, thy merchandise, they that carry on thy merchandise, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin," Ezek. xxvii. I to the end. "Howl,, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, whose merchants are princes, and whose trafficers are the honorable of the earth," Isaiah xxiii. 1-8. The same is meant by trading, in the Lord's parable of the man who travelled into a far country, and gave his servants talents, that they might trade with them and gain, Matt. xxv. 14-20. And of the other, Who gave his servants ten pounds to trade with, Luke xix. 12-26. And of the "treasure bid in a field; the which when a man hath found and hideth for joy thereof, he goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field,” Matt. xiii. 44. And of him that sought goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it, Matt. xiii. 45, 46. “Such have thy merchants been from thy youth; they shall wander every one to his quarter, none shall save thee," Isaiah xlvii. 15. Not to mention many other instances.

607. "Here is wisdom," signifies, that it is the part of a wise man, from what has been said and explained in

this chapter, to see and understand the nature of the doctrine and faith of the clergy concerning God and salvation. It is said here, because those things are meant which are declared and explained in this chapter, specifically concerning the beast which rose out of the earth, by which is signified the doctrine and consequent faith of the clergy concerning God and salvation, n. 594, for the things contained in this verse are said of that beast; and as it is the part of a wise man, or, of wisdom, to see and understand what that doctrine and consequent faith is, it is therefore said, Here is wisdom.

608. "Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast," signifies, that he who is in illustration from the Lord, may know the nature and quality of their confirmations of that doctrine and faith from the Word. To have intelligence signifies to be in illustration from the Lord; to compute the number signifies to know the quality, number signifying quality, n. 343, 364, 448, and to compute signifies to know; and because the quality which is signified by number is its quality as to truth, and all truth of doctrine and faith in the church being from the Word, therefore it means the quality of their confirmations from the Word; this also is the quality which is signified by the number six hundred sixty and six, as will be seen presently.

609. "For it is the number of a man," signifies, the quality of the Word and thence of the church. By man is signified wisdom and intelligence, n. 243, here wisdom and intelligence from the Word; thus also the Word as to the wisdom and intelligence in the man of the church; the church itself likewise appears before the Lord as a man; hence a man of the church, as to his spirit, appears in heaven as a man according to the quality of the church derived from the Word in him; this therefore it is which is signified here by the number of a man, because it follows after these words, Let him that hath intelligence compute the number of the beast, by which is signified, that he who is in illustration from the Lord may know what the quality of the confirmations of the doctrine and faith concerning God and salvation among the clergy