36. The Word in its ultimate or natural sense, which is the sense of the letter, is signified also by the wall of the Holy Jerusalem, the structure of which was of jasper; and by the foundations of the wall, which were precious stones; and likewise by the gates, which were pearls (Rev. 21:18-21); for Jerusalem signifies the church as to doctrine. But of these things more in the following chapter. From what has been adduced it is now evident that the sense of the letter of the Word, which is the natural sense, is the basis, container, and support of its interior senses, which are the spiritual and the celestial.
