1173. Verse 18. And they cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning signifies grief of mind when they saw the punishment on account of the direful falsities that flowed from their loves. This is evident from the signification of "crying out," as being grief of mind (see n. 393, 424, 459); also from the signification of "smoke," as being infernal falsity flowing from the evils of earthly and bodily loves (see n. 539, 889, 1131); also from the signification of "burning," as being the condemnation and punishment of the evils flowing from their loves (see n. 1083, 1126). From all this it is clear that "they cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning," signifies grief of mind when they saw the punishment on account of the direful falsities that flowed from their loves.
(Continuation) [2] (9) The ninth law of the Divine providence is that the Lord does not teach man truths either from Himself or through the angels immediately; but He teaches mediately by means of the Word, preaching, reading, conversation, and communication with others, and thus by thoughts within oneself about these things. Man is thus enlightened in the measure of his affection of truth from use. Otherwise man could not act as if from himself. This follows as a consequence from the laws of the Divine providence before explained, namely, that man must be in freedom, and must do what he does from reason; that he must think as if from himself from his understanding, and must do good as if from himself from his will; also that he must not be compelled to believe anything or do anything by miracles or by visions. These laws are unchangeable, because they are laws of the Divine wisdom and also of the Divine love; and yet they would be disturbed if man should be taught immediately, either by influx or by speech. [3] Moreover, the Lord flows into the interiors of man's mind and through these into its exteriors, also into the affection of his will and through that into the thought of his understanding, but not the reverse. To flow into the interiors of man's mind and through these into its exteriors is to take root and from the root produce; for the root is in the interiors and production in the exteriors; and to flow into the affection of the will and through that into the thought of the understanding is first to inspire a soul, and through that to form all other things; for the affection of the will is like a soul whereby the thoughts of the understanding are formed. Furthermore, this is influx from what is internal into what is external, and such influx is possible. About what flows into the interiors of his mind, or about what flows into the affection of his will, man knows nothing; but he would know about that which flowed into the exteriors of his mind, or into the thought of his understanding, and this would be to produce something without a root, or to form something without a soul. Everyone can see that this would be contrary to Divine order, consequently that it would be to destroy and not to build up. By all this the truth of this law of the Divine providence is made clear.