Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 1.djvu/229

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to those in the former world he has left, may appear from all that has been said and shown of the things I have heard and seen, in the work on Heaven and Hell. (See Vol. 2 of this series.)


THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM.

I have spoken with certaiu Romanists concerning the keys given to Peter; whether they believed that the power of the Lord over heaven and earth was transferred to him? And because this was a fundamental of their religion, they vehemently insisted on it, saying, that there was no doubt about it, because it was plainly said so. But when I asked them whether they knew that in each expression of the Word there is a spiritual sense which is the sense of the Word in heaven, they said at first that they did not know it, but afterwards they said they would inquire. And on inquiring, they were instructed that there is a spiritual sense within each expression of the Word, which differs from the sense of the letter as spiritual differs from natural. And they were also instructed that no person named in the Word is named in heaven, but that some spiritual thing is there understood in place of him. Finally, they were informed that Peter in the Word means the truth of the faith of the church derived from the good of charity; and that the same is meant by a rock which is there named with Peter, for it is said, "Thou art