1191. Because by thy sorcery have all nations been seduced signifies that by their wicked arts and persuasions they have compelled all the well disposed of that church to believe and to do those things from which they have gained dominion and wealth. This is evident from the signification of "sorcery," as being arts and persuasions, (of which presently); also from the signification of "nations" as being those who are in good, thus the well disposed (see n. 175, 331, 625, 1077); also from the signification of "to be seduced," as meaning to be deceived by such arts and persuasions into believing and doing those things from which they have gained dominion and wealth. "Sorcery" has nearly the same signification in the Word as "enchantment," and "enchantment" signifies such persuasion as causes a man to have no other perception than that a thing is so. Certain spirits possess a power of persuasion that closes up as it were the understanding of another, and suffocates the ability to perceive; and as the well-disposed men in the Babylonish nation are compelled and persuaded to believe and to do whatever the monks say, it is here said that "they have been seduced by their sorcery." "Sorcery" here has the same signification as "enchantment" in Isaiah (47:9, 12), where Babylon is treated of; also in David (Psalm 58:4, 5). Enchantment is also mentioned among the arts associated with magic, that were forbidden to the sons of Israel (Deut. 18:10-11).
(Continuation)
[2] The eminence and wealth of the angels of heaven shall also be described. In the societies of heaven there are higher and lower governors, all arranged by the Lord and subordinated according to their wisdom and intelligence. Their chief, who excels the rest in wisdom, dwells in the midst in a palace so magnificent that nothing in the whole world can be compared with it. Its architecture is so wonderful that I can truthfully assert that not a hundredth part of it can be described by natural language, for art itself is there in its art. Within the palace are rooms and bed-chambers, in which all the furniture and decorations are resplendent with gold and various precious stones in such forms as no artist in the world can imitate either in painting or sculpture. And what is wonderful, the particulars, even to the minutest particulars, are for use; and everyone who enters sees their use, perceiving it by a breathing forth, as it were, of the uses through their images. But no wise person who enters keeps his eyes fixed very long on the images, but his mind attends to the uses, since these delight his wisdom. Round about the palace are colonnades, pleasure gardens, and smaller palaces, each in the form of its own beauty a heavenly delight. Besides these magnificent objects there are attendant guards, all clad in shining garments, and many other things. The subordinate governors enjoy similar luxuries, which are magnificent and splendid according to the degrees of their wisdom, and their wisdom is according to the degrees of their love of uses. And not only do the rulers have such things, but also the inhabitants, all of whom love uses and perform them by various employments. [3] But few of these things can be described; those that cannot be described are innumerable, for as they are in their origin spiritual they do not fall into the ideas of the natural man, and consequently not into the expressions of His language, except into these, that when wisdom builds for itself a habitation, and makes it comformable to itself, everything that lies inmostly concealed in any science or in any art flows together and accomplishes the purpose. These things have been written to make known that all things in the heavens also have reference to eminence and wealth, but that eminence there pertains to wisdom and wealth to knowledge, and that such are the things to which man is led by the Lord through His Divine providence.