140. 'So that all the Churches may recognise that I am He Who searches the kidneys and hearts' signifies so that the Church may know that the Lord sees what truth and what good anyone has. By 'the seven Churches' the entire Church is signified, as before; and by 'searching the kidneys and hearts' is signified seeing all that a man believes and loves, thus what truth and what good he has. That this is signified by 'searching the kidneys and hearts' results from correspondence, for the Word in the sense of the letter of the Word consists of pure correspondences. The correspondence is from this, that as the kidneys purify the blood from the impurities that are called urinous, and the heart purifies the blood from the unclean things that are called filthy, so the truth of faith purifies a man from untruths, and the good of love purifies him from evils. [2] Consequently the Ancients placed love and its affections in the heart, and intelligence and its perceptions in the kidneys, as can be established from these passages its the Word:-
Behold thou desirest truth (veritas) in the kidneys, and in what is hidden Thou makest wisdom known to me Ps. li 6.
Thou possessest the kidneys, my love was not hid from Thee when I was made in secret Ps. cxxxix 13, 15.
My heart is provoked, and I excite myself in my kidneys; but I am a dolt, I do not learn Ps. lxxiii 21, 22.
I Jehovah, searching the heart, and trying the kidneys, even to give each one according to his ways Jer. xvii 10.
Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their kidneys; Thou, O Jehovah, wilt see me and try my heart Jer. xii 2, 3.
Jehovah, judge of justice, trying the kidneys and the heart Jer. xi 20; xx 12.
Confirm the just, for it is the just God Who tries the heart and the kidneys Ps. vii 9 [H.B. 10].
Try me, O Jehovah, and test me, examine my kidneys and my heart Ps. xxvi 2.
By 'kidneys' in these places are signified the truths of intelligence and faith, and by 'heart' is signified the good of love and charity. That the heart signifies love and the affections thereof may be seen in ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM* (n. 371-393). * The Original Edition has DIVINA PROVIDENTIA (Divine Providence) but DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM is evidently intended.
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