Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3908suffer themselves to be regenerated, truths are indeed usuallymultiplied, for these persons are in the affection of knowing suchthings for the sake of reputation, honor, and gain; yet when theyadvance in years and submit these truths to their own sight, theythen either do not believe them, or they deny them, or they turnthem into falsities; thus with them truths are not withdrawninward, but are cast forth, although they still remain in the memoryfor the sake of ends in the world, though without life. This statealso is called in the Word “desolation” or “vastation,” but differsfrom the former state in the desolation of the former beingapparent, while the desolation of this state is absolute; for in theformer state man is not deprived of truths, while in this state he isentirely deprived of them. The desolation of the former state hasbeen treated of in the internal sense in this chapter, and is stillfurther treated of in the following one, and is what is signified bythe “famine of seven years.”[3] This same desolation is often treated of in other parts of theWord, as in Isaiah:Awake, awake, O Jerusalem, who hast drunk at the hand ofJehovah the cup of his anger; two things are befallen thee, who shallbemoan thee? Wasting and breaking, famine and the sword; how shall Icomfort thee? Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all thestreets. Therefore hear, do this, thou afflicted and drunken one, but notwith wine, behold I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling,the dregs of the cup of my wrath; thou shalt no more drink it again, butI will put it into the hand of them that make thee sad (Isa. 51:17–23);in this passage is described the state of desolation in which is theman of the church who is becoming a church, or who is beingregenerated. This desolation is called “wasting,” “breaking,”“famine,” “sword,” and also the “cup of the anger and wrath ofJehovah,” and the “cup of trembling.” The truths of which he isthen deprived are the “sons who faint, and lie at the head of all thestreets.” That “sons” are truths may be seen above (n. 489, 491,533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373), and that “streets” are wheretruths are (n. 2336); hence “to lie at the head of all the streets”means that truths appear to be dispersed. It is evident that thisdesolation is apparent, and that by it as by temptations