TCR 200 - Because of the Spiritual Sense, the Word Is Divinely Inspired, and Holy In Every Word

TCR 200

It is asserted in the Church that the Word is holy,
because Jehovah the Lord spoke it;
but since its holiness is not apparent
in the sense of the Letter alone,
any one who begins to doubt its holiness on that account,
confirms his doubts by many things
he afterwards reads in the Word,
for he says to himself,
"Is this holy? Is this Divine?"
Accordingly, lest such thoughts should enter
the minds of many and ultimately prevail,
and the Word consequently be rejected
as a book of no value,
and the Lord's conjunction with man be thereby cut off,
it has pleased the Lord at this time
to reveal its spiritual sense,
in order that it may be known
where within it its Divine holiness lies concealed.
Some examples may be given to illustrate this.

In the Word mention is sometimes made of
Egypt, Assyria, Edom, Moab, the children of Ammon,
the Philistines, Tyre, Sidon, and Gog.
Any one who does not know
that by these names are signified
things of heaven and the Church
may erroneously conclude that the Word treats much
of peoples and nations,
and but little of heaven and the Church,
thus much of worldly and little of heavenly things.
When he knows, however,
what is signified by these peoples or by their names,
he may be led from error to the truth.

The case is the same when any one sees in the Word
frequent mention of gardens,
woods and the trees that grow in them,
as the olive, the vine, the cedar, the poplar, and the oak;
and of the lamb, the sheep, the goat, the calf and the ox;
and also of mountains, hills, valleys,
and the fountains, rivers, and waters found there;
and of many similar things.
He who knows nothing of the spiritual sense of the Word
cannot but suppose
that it is only those objects which are meant.
He does not know that by
 a garden, grove and wood
are meant wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge;
by the olive, the vine, the cedar, the poplar and the oak
are meant the good and truth of the Church,
celestial, spiritual, rational, natural and sensual;
by the lamb, the sheep, the goat, the calf and the ox
are meant innocence, charity, and natural affection;
and by mountains, hills and valleys
are meant the higher,
the lower and the lowest things of the Church.

Again, he does not know that by Egypt
is signified the scientific principle,
by Assyria the rational,
by Edom the natural,
by Moab the adulteration of good,
by the children of Ammon the adulteration of truth,
by the Philistines faith without charity,
by Tyre and Sidon the knowledge of good and truth,
and by Gog external worship without the internal.
In general, by Jacob in the Word
is meant the natural Church,
by Israel the spiritual Church
and by Judah the celestial Church.

When a man knows these things he may realize
that the Word treats solely of heavenly things,
and that the things of this world
are merely the subjects
in which those heavenly things are.