of charity; and they who are in the good of charity are, also, in the truths of faith, because charity is the life and soul of faith; hence it is, that John calls himself the brother and companion of those in the church to whom he wrote, for he wrote to the seven churches: by brother, in the spiritual sense of the Word, is meant, one who is in the good of charity; and by companion, one who is thence in the truths of faith; for all are, as it were, in consanguinity by charity, but in affinity by faith; for charity conjoins; not so faith, except it be from charity: when faith is from charity, then charity conjoins, and faith consociates; and since they make one, therefore, the Lord commanded that all should be brethren, for he says, "One is your master, even Christ, but all ye are brethren," Matt. xxiii. 8; the Lord, also, calls those brethren who are in the good of charity, or in good of life; for he said, "My mother and my brethren are these, who hear the Word of God, and do it," Luke viii. 21, Matt. xii. 49, Mark iii. 33—35. By mother is meant the church, and by brethren those who are in charity; and as the good of charity is denoted by brother, therefore the Lord calls those who are principled therein, brethren, in Matthew, also, xxv. 40, and likewise disciples, Matt. xxviii. 10, John xx. 17; but it is not written that the disciples called the Lord brother, because brother denotes the good which is from the Lord: the case is comparatively as it is with kings, princes, and great men, who call those who are connected with them by blood or affinity, brethren, but yet the latter do not in their turn call them so; for the Lord says, "One is your master, even Christ, but all ye are brethren," Matt. xxiii. 8; also, "Ye call me master and Lord; and ye say well, for so I am," John xiii. 13. The children of Israel called all those brethren, who were descended from their father Jacob: and in a more extensive sense, those, also, who were descended from Esau; but such as were not descended from them, they called companions. But as the Word, in its spiritual sense, treats only of those who are in the Lord's church, therefore in that sense, by brethren, they are meant, who are in the good of charity from the Lord, and, by com

panions, they who are in the truths of faith; as in the following passages: "Thus shall ye say every one to his companion, and every one to his brother, what hath Jehovah answered?" Jer. xxiii. 35. "Ye have not hearkened unto me in proclaiming liberty every one to his brother, and every man to his companion," Jer. xxxiv. 17. "He shall not exact it from his companion, or of his brother," Deut. xv. 2. "For my brethren and companions' sakes I will now say," Psalm cxxii. 8. "They help every one his companion, and every one said to his brother, be of good courage," Isaiah xli. 6; and in an opposite sense, "Take ye heed every one of his companion, and trust ye not in any brother, for every brother will utterly supplant, and every companion will walk with slanders," Jer. ix. 4. "I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his companion," Isaiah xix. 2; and in other places. These passages are adduced, that it may be known why John calls himself brother and companion; and that by brother, in the Word, is meant one who is in charity or in good, and, by companion, one who is in faith or in truth. But as it is charity from which faith is derived, therefore none are called companions by the Lord, but brethren or neighbor; every one, indeed, is a neighbor according to the quality of good, Luke x. 36, 37.

33. "In tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ," signifies, which in the church are infested by evils and falses, but which will be removed by the Lord at his coming. By tribulation, is meant the state of the church when there are no longer any goods of charity and truths of faith, but instead of them, evils and falses ; by the kingdom, is meant the church; and, by patience of Jesus Christ, is meant the Lord's advent; therefore these words, "In tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ," when collated into one sense, signify, when the goods and truths of the church are infested by evils and falses, but which will be removed by the Lord at his coming. That by tribulation, is meant the state of the church when it is infested by evils and falses is evident from the following passages: "In the

consummation of the age, they shall deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you. There shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven," Matt. xxiv. 9, 21, 29, Mark xiii. 19, 24. That the kingdom, signifies the church, will be seen in what follows.

34. "I was in the isle called Patmos," signifies, a state and place in which he could be illuminated. The reason why this revelation was made to John in Patmos, was, because it was an island in Greece, not far from the Land of Canaan, and between Asia and Europe; and by isles are signified the nations more remote from the worship of God, but yet which will accede to it, because they arecapable of being illuminated; the same is signified by Greece; but the church itself is signified by the Land of Canaan; by Asia, they of the church who are in the light of truth from the Word; and, by Europe, they to whom the Word is about to come; hence it is, that by the isle of Patmos, is signified a state and place in which he could be illuminated. That by isles, in the Word, are signified the nations which are more remote from the worship of God, but which yet will accede to it, is evident from the following places: "Glorify Jehovah in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea," Isaiah xxiv. 15. "He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, the isles and the inhabitants thereof, let them give glory unto Jehovah ; and declare his praise in the islands,” Isaiah xlii. 4, 10, 12. Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken ye people from far," Isaiah xlix. 1. "The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust," Isaiah li. 5. "The isles shall wait for me, and the ships. of Tarshish," Isaiah lx. 9. "Hear the Word of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off," Jer. xxxi. 10. "And men shall worship Jehovah every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen," Zeph,

ii. 11; and elsewhere. That the same is signified by Greece, is not so evident from the Word, because Greece is mentioned only in Daniel viii. 21; x. 20; xi. 2; as also in John xii. 20; Mark vii. 26. That by the Land of Canaan is meant the Lord's church, which is thence called the Holy Land, and the heavenly Canaan, is evident from many passages in the Word: that by Asia are meant they in the church who are in the light of truth from the Word, may be seen above, n. 11; and that by Europe, they to whom the Word is about to come, is plain.

35. "For the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ," signifies, that divine truth from the Word might be received from the heart and so in the light, and that the Lord's Humanity might be acknowledged to be divine: this was explained above, n. 6.

36. "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day," signifies, a spiritual state at that time from divine influx. I was in the spirit, signifies the spiritual state in which he was when he was in visions; which state will be explained in what follows; on the Lord's day, signifies influx then received from the Lord; for in that day the Lord is present, because the day is holy; from which it is evident, that by being in the spirit on the Lord's day, is signified a spiritual state at that time from divine influx. Concerning the prophets it is written, that they were in the spirit or in vision, also, that the Word came to them from Jehovah when they were in the spirit or in vision, they were not in the body, but in their spirit, in which state they saw such things as are in heaven; but when the Word came to them, then they were in the body, and heard Jehovah speak; these two states of the prophets are carefully to be distinguished. In the state of vision the eyes of their spirit were opened, and the eyes of their body shut; and then they heard what the angels spake, or what Jehovah spake by the angels, and also saw the things which were represented to them in heaven; and then they sometimes seemed to themselves to be carried from one place to another, the body still remaining in its place; in this state was John when he wrote the Apoca

lypse; and sometimes, also, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel; and then it is said that they were in vision, or in the spirit; for Ezekiel says, "The spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity: so the vision that I had seen went up from me," chap. xi. 1, 24. It is said also, that the spirit took him up, and that he heard behind him a voice of a great rushing, and other things, iii. 12, 24 also, that the spirit lifted him up between the earth and the heaven, and brought him in the visions of God to Jerusalem, and he saw abominations, viii. 3, and subsequent verses. In like manner he was in a vision of God, or in the spirit, when he saw the four animals, which were cherubs, i. and x.; as also when he saw the new earth and the new temple, and the angel measuring them, xl. to xlviii.; and that the spirit took him up, xliii. 5. The same was the case with Zechariah, in whom there was an angel at the time, when he saw the man riding among the myrtle trees, i. 8, &c.: When he saw four horns, and afterwards a man, in whose hand was a measuring line, ii. 1, 5, &c.: When he saw Joshua, the high priest, iii. 1, &c.: When he saw the candlestick and the two olive trees, iv. 1, &c.: When he saw the flying roll and the ephah, v. 1, 6: And when he saw the four chariots coming out from between two mountains, and horses, vi. 1. In a similar state was Daniel, when he saw four beasts coming up out of the sea, Dan. vii. 1, &c. And when he saw the battle of the ram and the he-goat, viii. 1, &c. That he saw these things in visions, he himself saith, vii. 1, 2, 7, 13; viii. 2; x. 1, 7, 8; and that the angel Gabriel was seen by him in a vision, ix. 21. It was the same with John; as when he saw the Son of Man in the midst of the seven candlesticks, Apoc. i. When he saw a throne in heaven, and him that sat thereon, and four animals round about the throne, iv.: When he saw the book sealed with seven seals, v.: When he saw four horses coming out of the book that was opened, vi.: When he saw the four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth, vii.: When he saw the locusts coming out of the bottomless pit, ix.: When