AE 907 [4]
For the real truth is,
that the Divine truth never fights against falsity from evil,
but falsity fights against truth;
and thus heaven does not fight against hell,
but hell against heaven.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
AE 902 - the commandments in the Word
AE 902
Spiritual life is acquired solely by a life
according to the commandments in the Word.
These commandments are given in a summary in the Decalogue, namely,
Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not kill,
Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Thou shalt not covet the goods of others.
These commandments are the commandments that are to be done,
for when a man does these his works are good and his life becomes spiritual,
because so far as a man shuns evils and hates them,
so far he wills and loves goods.
AE 902 [6]
... for to do these commandments from religion purifies the internal man,
opens heaven,
admits the Lord,
and makes man as to his spirit an angel of heaven.
And this is why the nations outside the church
who do these commandments from religion are all saved,
but not any one who does them merely from civil and moral law.
Spiritual life is acquired solely by a life
according to the commandments in the Word.
These commandments are given in a summary in the Decalogue, namely,
Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not kill,
Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Thou shalt not covet the goods of others.
These commandments are the commandments that are to be done,
for when a man does these his works are good and his life becomes spiritual,
because so far as a man shuns evils and hates them,
so far he wills and loves goods.
AE 902 [6]
... for to do these commandments from religion purifies the internal man,
opens heaven,
admits the Lord,
and makes man as to his spirit an angel of heaven.
And this is why the nations outside the church
who do these commandments from religion are all saved,
but not any one who does them merely from civil and moral law.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
AE 898 - Write
AE 898
Write, signifies certainty....
"To write" signifies certainty because writing is the ultimate act of thought and of speech therefrom, and thus it means what is certain, because what is terminated. This may be compared with all things that a man wills, thinks, and speaks therefrom, and does not terminate by doing them; such things are not yet in man's life, for the ultimate in which prior things exist together is lacking.
Write, signifies certainty....
"To write" signifies certainty because writing is the ultimate act of thought and of speech therefrom, and thus it means what is certain, because what is terminated. This may be compared with all things that a man wills, thinks, and speaks therefrom, and does not terminate by doing them; such things are not yet in man's life, for the ultimate in which prior things exist together is lacking.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
AE 888 [3] - the Word communicates & conjunctions
AE 888 [3]
How infernal and thus how injurious it is to falsify the Word
even to the destruction of the Divine truth and the Divine good in the heavens
can be seen from the fact
that all things of the sense of the letter of the Word,
which are Divine truths for the natural man,
communicate through the spiritual sense with the angels of heaven,
to the extent that men and the angels of heaven are conjoined
by means of the Word;
consequently the sense of the letter of the Word,
with the man who falsifies it,
is perceived in heaven in a two-fold manner,
namely as genuine truth from the sense of the letter
according to correspondences,
and as destroyed according to falsifications.
From this it comes that truth and falsity are presented together as conjoined,
from which the angels of heaven are exasperated,
and turn themselves entirely away.
How infernal and thus how injurious it is to falsify the Word
even to the destruction of the Divine truth and the Divine good in the heavens
can be seen from the fact
that all things of the sense of the letter of the Word,
which are Divine truths for the natural man,
communicate through the spiritual sense with the angels of heaven,
to the extent that men and the angels of heaven are conjoined
by means of the Word;
consequently the sense of the letter of the Word,
with the man who falsifies it,
is perceived in heaven in a two-fold manner,
namely as genuine truth from the sense of the letter
according to correspondences,
and as destroyed according to falsifications.
From this it comes that truth and falsity are presented together as conjoined,
from which the angels of heaven are exasperated,
and turn themselves entirely away.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
AE 887 - falsifying the Word
AE 887
...those who falsify the Word are spiritually drunken, that is,
are in a state of delirium in respect to truths...
...those who falsify the Word are spiritually drunken, that is,
are in a state of delirium in respect to truths...
Monday, September 25, 2006
AE 874 - "Fear God and give glory to Him"
AE 874
Fear God and give glory to Him (Rev. 16:7),
signifies to worship the Lord from His Divine truth
by a life according to it.
Fear God and give glory to Him (Rev. 16:7),
signifies to worship the Lord from His Divine truth
by a life according to it.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
AE 866 - all who are in the Lord
AE 866
For the Lord is Divine truth united to Divine good;
and all who are in the Lord,
who are those who acknowledge His Divine Human
and do His commandments,
are in the Divine truth and in the Divine good...
For the Lord is Divine truth united to Divine good;
and all who are in the Lord,
who are those who acknowledge His Divine Human
and do His commandments,
are in the Divine truth and in the Divine good...
Saturday, September 23, 2006
AE 864 - to follow the Lord
AE 864
"To follow the Lord" has a similar signification as "to go or to walk after Him."
That "to go or walk after the Lord,"
signifies to acknowledge, to obey,
and to act and live from Him and with Him....
For the Lord so operates with man that man may follow Him as if of himself;
thus does the Lord flow into man's freedom;
and this He does for the sake of the reception and implantation
of truth and good with man and consequent reformation and regeneration.
"To follow the Lord" has a similar signification as "to go or to walk after Him."
That "to go or walk after the Lord,"
signifies to acknowledge, to obey,
and to act and live from Him and with Him....
For the Lord so operates with man that man may follow Him as if of himself;
thus does the Lord flow into man's freedom;
and this He does for the sake of the reception and implantation
of truth and good with man and consequent reformation and regeneration.
Friday, September 22, 2006
AE 863a - spiritual affections of truth
AE 863a
...spiritual affections of truth...are such as have for their end eternal life and the uses of that life. Those who are in such affections love truths because they are truths, thus apart from the world's glory, honors, and gains; and those who love truths apart from such considerations love the Lord; for the Lord is with man in the truths that are from good.
...spiritual affections of truth...are such as have for their end eternal life and the uses of that life. Those who are in such affections love truths because they are truths, thus apart from the world's glory, honors, and gains; and those who love truths apart from such considerations love the Lord; for the Lord is with man in the truths that are from good.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
AE 852a - foreheads and eyes
AE 852a
Having the name of His Father written on their foreheads,
... means the full acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord,
because the Lord turns towards Himself all who acknowledge His Divine,
and looks at them in the forehead,
while they look at the Lord with the eyes;
and this for the reason that the "forehead" signifies love,
and the "eye" the understanding of truth;
therefore to be looked at by the Lord in the forehead
signifies to be looked at by the Lord from the good of love;
and on the other hand their looking at the Lord with the eyes
signifies to look from truths from that good,
consequently from the understanding of truth.
Having the name of His Father written on their foreheads,
... means the full acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord,
because the Lord turns towards Himself all who acknowledge His Divine,
and looks at them in the forehead,
while they look at the Lord with the eyes;
and this for the reason that the "forehead" signifies love,
and the "eye" the understanding of truth;
therefore to be looked at by the Lord in the forehead
signifies to be looked at by the Lord from the good of love;
and on the other hand their looking at the Lord with the eyes
signifies to look from truths from that good,
consequently from the understanding of truth.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
AE 850a - the presence of the Lord
AE 850a
The presence of the Lord is perpetual in the whole heaven
and in the whole church;
for heaven is not heaven from what is the angels' own,
nor is the church a church from what is men's own,
but from the Divine of the Lord with them.
... it is a presence that is peaceful, tranquil, preserving, and sustaining,
by which all things in the heavens and on the earth
are held constantly in their order and connection....
The presence of the Lord is perpetual in the whole heaven
and in the whole church;
for heaven is not heaven from what is the angels' own,
nor is the church a church from what is men's own,
but from the Divine of the Lord with them.
... it is a presence that is peaceful, tranquil, preserving, and sustaining,
by which all things in the heavens and on the earth
are held constantly in their order and connection....
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
AE 847 - every religion
AE 847 [3]
... every religion has life as its end;
for it teaches the evils that must be shunned,
and the goods that are to be done.
... every religion has life as its end;
for it teaches the evils that must be shunned,
and the goods that are to be done.
Monday, September 18, 2006
AE 840 - the treasure hidden in a field
AE 840 [10]
The treasure hidden in a field,
which a man having found hid,
and for joy he went and sold all things
whatsoever that he had
and bought the field. (Matthew 13:44)
The "treasure" signifies the Divine truth that is in the Word;
and the "field" signifies the church and its doctrine;
and "to sell all things whatsoever that he had and buy the field"
signifies to set aside what is one's own
and to acquire for oneself the Divine truth that is in the Lord's church.
The treasure hidden in a field,
which a man having found hid,
and for joy he went and sold all things
whatsoever that he had
and bought the field. (Matthew 13:44)
The "treasure" signifies the Divine truth that is in the Word;
and the "field" signifies the church and its doctrine;
and "to sell all things whatsoever that he had and buy the field"
signifies to set aside what is one's own
and to acquire for oneself the Divine truth that is in the Lord's church.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
AE 834 - doing for the neighbor
AE 834
... while every man is a neighbor, every man is a neighbor from his quality,
and consequently that it is the quality of a man from which he is a man
that is meant in the spiritual sense by "neighbor;"
for otherwise a bad man would be as much a neighbor as a good man;
and yet to do good to the evil is sometimes doing evil to the good.
... while every man is a neighbor, every man is a neighbor from his quality,
and consequently that it is the quality of a man from which he is a man
that is meant in the spiritual sense by "neighbor;"
for otherwise a bad man would be as much a neighbor as a good man;
and yet to do good to the evil is sometimes doing evil to the good.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
AE 832 - spiritual truths & understanding in the world
AE 832 [4]
... he who loves truth from truth, that is, because it is truth, can see spiritual truths; and those which he does not see in the world he sees afterwards in heaven. For it is the love itself of truth that receives the light of heaven, which enlightens the understanding.
... he who loves truth from truth, that is, because it is truth, can see spiritual truths; and those which he does not see in the world he sees afterwards in heaven. For it is the love itself of truth that receives the light of heaven, which enlightens the understanding.
AE 832 - spiritual angels & their heaven
AE 832 [4]
... spiritual angels admit no truth into the memory and from that into the understandingwith themsleves unless they see it; for the angels in that heaven see truths from the light of truth, thus by enlightenment from the Lord...
... spiritual angels admit no truth into the memory and from that into the understandingwith themsleves unless they see it; for the angels in that heaven see truths from the light of truth, thus by enlightenment from the Lord...
AE 826 & 828 - the celestial angels & their heaven
AE 826 [2]
... with them all truths are written on their affections, and these derive their essence from celestial love, which is love to the Lord.
... with them all truths are written on their affections, and these derive their essence from celestial love, which is love to the Lord.
Friday, September 15, 2006
AE 825 - the laws of our religion & the leading of the Lord
AE 825 [3]
The lawns of our religion are that one God is to be worshiped;
that adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness, must be shunned;
thus also frauds, unlawful gains, hatreds, revenge, lies, blasphemies,
and many other things that are mentioned not alone in the Decalogue
but everywhere else in the Word,
and are called sins against God and also abominations.
When man shuns these because they are opposed to the Word,
and so opposed to God,
and because they are from hell,
then man lives according to the laws of his religion,
and so far as he lives according to his religion he is led by the Lord;
for so far as he is led by the Lord and his works good;
he is then led to do goods and to speak truths
for the sake of goods and the sake of truths,
and not for the sake of self and the world;
uses are his enjoyments, and truths his delight.
Moreover, he is daily taught by the Lord
what he must do and what he must say,
also what he must preach or what he must write;
for when evils are removed he is continually under
the Lord's guidance and in enlightenment.
Yet he is not led and taught immediately by any dictate,
or by any perceptible inspiration,
but by an influx into his spiritual delight,
from which he has perception according to the truths
of which his understanding consists.
When he acts from this influx,
he appears to be acting as if from himself,
and yet he acknowledges in heart that it is from the Lord.
The lawns of our religion are that one God is to be worshiped;
that adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness, must be shunned;
thus also frauds, unlawful gains, hatreds, revenge, lies, blasphemies,
and many other things that are mentioned not alone in the Decalogue
but everywhere else in the Word,
and are called sins against God and also abominations.
When man shuns these because they are opposed to the Word,
and so opposed to God,
and because they are from hell,
then man lives according to the laws of his religion,
and so far as he lives according to his religion he is led by the Lord;
for so far as he is led by the Lord and his works good;
he is then led to do goods and to speak truths
for the sake of goods and the sake of truths,
and not for the sake of self and the world;
uses are his enjoyments, and truths his delight.
Moreover, he is daily taught by the Lord
what he must do and what he must say,
also what he must preach or what he must write;
for when evils are removed he is continually under
the Lord's guidance and in enlightenment.
Yet he is not led and taught immediately by any dictate,
or by any perceptible inspiration,
but by an influx into his spiritual delight,
from which he has perception according to the truths
of which his understanding consists.
When he acts from this influx,
he appears to be acting as if from himself,
and yet he acknowledges in heart that it is from the Lord.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
AE 821d - thunder and celestial good
AE 821d [4]
... in the spiritual world thunders are also heard,
and these are produced by truths that are from celestial good
when these are descending from the higher heavens into the lower....
Celestial good is the same thing as the good of love in will and in act.
... in the spiritual world thunders are also heard,
and these are produced by truths that are from celestial good
when these are descending from the higher heavens into the lower....
Celestial good is the same thing as the good of love in will and in act.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
AE 819 & AE 820a - goods of love & good in truth
AE 819 [3] (2)
... goods that are of life are what gives life to faith, and make it spiritual.
For love is the very soul of faith, and love is doing,
for a what a man loves he wills, and what he wills he does.
And this the Lord teaches in John 14:21, 24:
He that has My commandments and does them,
he it is that loves Me;
but he that loves Me not, does not keep My words.
AE 820a [4]
Moreover, as soon as good is implanted in truths with man
he is conjoined with the angels....
... goods that are of life are what gives life to faith, and make it spiritual.
For love is the very soul of faith, and love is doing,
for a what a man loves he wills, and what he wills he does.
And this the Lord teaches in John 14:21, 24:
He that has My commandments and does them,
he it is that loves Me;
but he that loves Me not, does not keep My words.
AE 820a [4]
Moreover, as soon as good is implanted in truths with man
he is conjoined with the angels....
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
AE 817d - the Philistines
AE 817d [6]
All the wars that the sons of Israel waged against the Philistines
represented the combats of the spiritual man with the natural man,
and so also the combats of truth conjoined with good
against truth separated from good,
which in itself is not truth but falsity.
All the wars that the sons of Israel waged against the Philistines
represented the combats of the spiritual man with the natural man,
and so also the combats of truth conjoined with good
against truth separated from good,
which in itself is not truth but falsity.
Monday, September 11, 2006
AE 815c - "To believe in the Lord"
AE 815c [11]
"To believe in the Lord"
signifies not only to adore and worship Him,
but also to live from Him,
and one lives from Him
when he lives according to the Word
which is from Him . . .
"To believe in the Lord"
signifies not only to adore and worship Him,
but also to live from Him,
and one lives from Him
when he lives according to the Word
which is from Him . . .
Sunday, September 10, 2006
AE 813 - faith & truth
AE 813
"Faith" signifies the implantation of truth
because faith with man is truth acknowledged in the heart;
for unless it is acknowledged in the heart it cannot be one's own faith;
and this is why "faith" is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament,
but "truth" instead;
...the ancient people with whom was the church
were wholly ignorant that faith was anything else than truth;
and when they said that they believed in God
they meant by it knowing and understanding truths,
and willing and doing them,
and this from the Lord.
"Faith" signifies the implantation of truth
because faith with man is truth acknowledged in the heart;
for unless it is acknowledged in the heart it cannot be one's own faith;
and this is why "faith" is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament,
but "truth" instead;
...the ancient people with whom was the church
were wholly ignorant that faith was anything else than truth;
and when they said that they believed in God
they meant by it knowing and understanding truths,
and willing and doing them,
and this from the Lord.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
AE 810 - to those who are in truths
AE 810 [4]
To those who are in truths the imputation of the Lord's merit
means simply an entreaty to the Lord that He will have mercy ....
The Lord's merit
means that by His own Power He will save those who believe in Him,
and who do what He has commanded.
This merit cannot be imputed, but it can be prayed for.
Intercession means the perpetual remembrance of man by the Lord.
Trust and confidence mean trust and confidence in the Lord
that out of pure mercy He will teach man the way
and lead him to heaven.
impute, imputation - to lay the responsibility or blame for;
to credit a person or cause
To those who are in truths the imputation of the Lord's merit
means simply an entreaty to the Lord that He will have mercy ....
The Lord's merit
means that by His own Power He will save those who believe in Him,
and who do what He has commanded.
This merit cannot be imputed, but it can be prayed for.
Intercession means the perpetual remembrance of man by the Lord.
Trust and confidence mean trust and confidence in the Lord
that out of pure mercy He will teach man the way
and lead him to heaven.
impute, imputation - to lay the responsibility or blame for;
to credit a person or cause
Friday, September 08, 2006
AE 808 - What is saving faith?
AE 808 [2]
Saving faith is to believe that the Lord is the Saviour of the world,
and that He is the God of heaven and the God of the earth,
and that by His coming into the world
He entered into the power to save all
who receive truths from Him through the Word,
and who live according to them.
Who those are that are able to receive truths from Him
and to live according to them...
those who shun sins because they are sins against the Word
and thus against God,
since by so doing man's internal is purified,
and when this is purified man is led by the Lord and not by self;
and so far as man is led by the Lord he loves truths,
and receives them and wills them and does them.
This faith is saving faith.
Saving faith is to believe that the Lord is the Saviour of the world,
and that He is the God of heaven and the God of the earth,
and that by His coming into the world
He entered into the power to save all
who receive truths from Him through the Word,
and who live according to them.
Who those are that are able to receive truths from Him
and to live according to them...
those who shun sins because they are sins against the Word
and thus against God,
since by so doing man's internal is purified,
and when this is purified man is led by the Lord and not by self;
and so far as man is led by the Lord he loves truths,
and receives them and wills them and does them.
This faith is saving faith.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
AE 803a - So far as man detests these sins so far good affections enter:
AE 803a [2] (5)
Then so far as he detests adulteries
so far chastity enters;
so far as he detests frauds and unlawful gains
so far sincerity and justice enter;
so far as he detests hatred and revenge
so far charity enters;
so far as he detests lies and blasphemies
so far truth enters;
and so far as he detests elation of mind
so far humility before God and the love of the neighbor enter;
and so on.
From this it follows that to shun evils is to do goods.
Then so far as he detests adulteries
so far chastity enters;
so far as he detests frauds and unlawful gains
so far sincerity and justice enter;
so far as he detests hatred and revenge
so far charity enters;
so far as he detests lies and blasphemies
so far truth enters;
and so far as he detests elation of mind
so far humility before God and the love of the neighbor enter;
and so on.
From this it follows that to shun evils is to do goods.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
AE 802b - predestination & the elect
AE 802b [4]
... yet all are predestined for heaven,
and those are called the elect who learn truths and do them.
... yet all are predestined for heaven,
and those are called the elect who learn truths and do them.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
AE 799b - the shelter of His wings
AE 799b [8]
I will abide in Your tabernacle for ever,
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. (Psalm 61:4)
"To abide in a tabernacle forever"
signifies to be in the Divine good of love;
"to trust in the shelter of Your wings"
signifies to be in Divine truths,
"the wings of Jehovah"
signifying spiritual truths.
I will abide in Your tabernacle for ever,
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. (Psalm 61:4)
"To abide in a tabernacle forever"
signifies to be in the Divine good of love;
"to trust in the shelter of Your wings"
signifies to be in Divine truths,
"the wings of Jehovah"
signifying spiritual truths.
Monday, September 04, 2006
AE 798b - with everyone who is being reformed
AE 789b [3]
...with everyone who is being reformed,
he first forms doctrine for himself out of the Word,
and distinguishes in it between the things that are to be believed
and the things that are to be done.
The things that are to be believed he calls faith,
and the things that are to be done he calls charity;
but as the order with every one has been reversed from birth
he looks to faith in the first place
and charity in the second.
Yet if he lives the life of faith, which is charity,
the order is by degrees turned about and restored;
and from charity he lives faith.
...with everyone who is being reformed,
he first forms doctrine for himself out of the Word,
and distinguishes in it between the things that are to be believed
and the things that are to be done.
The things that are to be believed he calls faith,
and the things that are to be done he calls charity;
but as the order with every one has been reversed from birth
he looks to faith in the first place
and charity in the second.
Yet if he lives the life of faith, which is charity,
the order is by degrees turned about and restored;
and from charity he lives faith.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
AE 794 - from the Lord
AE 794 [3]
He who does good for the sake of good does good from good;
and he who speaks truth for the sake of truth speaks truth from truth,
thus from the Lord, who is Truth itself and from whom is all truth.
The like is true of him who acts sincerely for the sake of sincerity,
and does what is just for the sake of justice;
for sincerity is moral good and truth,
and justice is civil good and truth;
and all good and truth are from the Lord and not from man,
because they are done from the internal through the external.
He who does good for the sake of good does good from good;
and he who speaks truth for the sake of truth speaks truth from truth,
thus from the Lord, who is Truth itself and from whom is all truth.
The like is true of him who acts sincerely for the sake of sincerity,
and does what is just for the sake of justice;
for sincerity is moral good and truth,
and justice is civil good and truth;
and all good and truth are from the Lord and not from man,
because they are done from the internal through the external.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
AE 790b - a storehouse for the formation of the spiritual man
AE 790b [5]
That the spiritual mind may be opened and formed
it must have a storehouse from which it may draw its supplies;
since unless man has such a storehouse he is empty,
and in emptiness there can be no Divine operation.
This storehouse is in the natural man and it is its memory,
in which everything knowable can be stored up
and can be drawn forth from it.
In this storehouse for the formation of the spiritual man
there must be truths that are to be believed
and goods that are to be done, both of them from the Word
and from doctrine and preaching from the Word.
These man must learn even from infancy.
[14]
... but still it is the Lord who works all these arcana,
while man knows nothing about it;
all that man needs to do is to learn truths from the Word
and to live according to them.
That the spiritual mind may be opened and formed
it must have a storehouse from which it may draw its supplies;
since unless man has such a storehouse he is empty,
and in emptiness there can be no Divine operation.
This storehouse is in the natural man and it is its memory,
in which everything knowable can be stored up
and can be drawn forth from it.
In this storehouse for the formation of the spiritual man
there must be truths that are to be believed
and goods that are to be done, both of them from the Word
and from doctrine and preaching from the Word.
These man must learn even from infancy.
[14]
... but still it is the Lord who works all these arcana,
while man knows nothing about it;
all that man needs to do is to learn truths from the Word
and to live according to them.
Friday, September 01, 2006
AE 785b - faith, charity, good works & the church
AE 785b [5]
... the twelve disciples of the Lord represented the church in respect to all things of faith and charity in the complex; and of them, Peter, James, and John represented faith, charity and good works in their order, Peter faith, James charity, and John good works.... Because John represented the church in respect to good works, he reclined at the Lord's breast. That the church is with those who do good works is also signified by the Lord's words from the cross to John:
Jesus saw His mother, and spoke to the disciple whom He loved, who was standing by; and He said to His mother, Woman, behold thy son; and He said to that disciple, Behold thy mother: and from that hour that disciple took her unto himself. (John 16: 26,27)
This signifies that where good works are, there the church will be, for in the Word "woman," like as "mother," signifies the church.
... the twelve disciples of the Lord represented the church in respect to all things of faith and charity in the complex; and of them, Peter, James, and John represented faith, charity and good works in their order, Peter faith, James charity, and John good works.... Because John represented the church in respect to good works, he reclined at the Lord's breast. That the church is with those who do good works is also signified by the Lord's words from the cross to John:
Jesus saw His mother, and spoke to the disciple whom He loved, who was standing by; and He said to His mother, Woman, behold thy son; and He said to that disciple, Behold thy mother: and from that hour that disciple took her unto himself. (John 16: 26,27)
This signifies that where good works are, there the church will be, for in the Word "woman," like as "mother," signifies the church.
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