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Matthew Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

THE INTERNAL SENSE.

  1. Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be regarded of them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father that [is] in the heavens.
  2. When therefore you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified of men. Verily I say to you, They have their reward.

That good ought to be done from the love of good, and not with a view to please men, otherwise the love of God is not in it, neither true blessedness. Verses 1, 2.

  1. But when you do alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does:

That it ought to be done from the lord, and not from self. Verse 3.

  1. That your alms may be in what is hidden, and your Father that sees in what is hidden, shall Himself reward you in what is manifest.

That good thus done brings its own reward from the Divine Good in which it originates. Verse 4.

  1. And when you prayest, you shall not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may appear to men. Verily I say to you, That they have their reward.

That truth, in like manner, ought to be spoken from the love of truth, and not to please men, because in this latter case it brings no delight along with it but what arises from human glory. Verse 5.

  1. But you, when you prayest, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father that [is] in what is hidden, and your Father that sees in what is hidden, shall reward you in what is manifest.

That it ought to be spoken from the will of good, separated from evil, and opened to the Divine Good; in which case it is accepting of the blessedness of that good. Verse 6.

  1. But when you pray, do not multiply words, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard in their much speaking.
  2. Be not you therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.

That in speaking the truth before the Divine, in supplication, the expressions are not attended to, but the affections and thoughts in the expressions. Verses 7, 8.

  1. Thus therefore pray you: Father of us that [are] in the heavens, hallowed be Your name:

Which affections and thoughts ought to be open inwards to the reception of the Divine Good, and to acknowledge the Divine Humanity of the Lord to be that good. Verse 9.

  1. Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.

And to receive thence Truth Divine, that so the external man may be conformable to the internal. Verse 10.

  1. Give us today our daily bread;

And thus to incorporate the heavenly goods and truths of the Word continually into the life. Verse 11.

  1. And remit to us our debts, as we also remit to our debtors;

And to give them back again to the lord, in devout acknowledgement that they are His gifts. Verse 12.

  1. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil: for Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, into the ages. Amen.

Confessing that the Lord alone defends man under all assaults of evil spirits, and finally delivers him from their power, whilst he acknowledges in true humiliation that all good and truth are from the Lord alone, and nothing from man. Verse 13.

  1. For if you remit to men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also remit to you:
  2. But if you do not remit to men their trespasses, neither will your Father remit your trespasses.
  3. But when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they cover their faces, that they may appear to men to fast. Verily I say to you, That they have their reward.

That the Lord separates evil from man, in proportion as man is in the will that it may be separated, but not otherwise. Verses 14, 16.

  1. But you, when you fastest, anoint your head, and wash your face;
  2. That you appear not to men to fast, but to your Father that [is] in what is hidden, and your Father that sees in what is hidden, shall reward you in what is manifest.

That a defect of truth and good ought not to induce external sadness and severity, but should lead to internal sanctification and purity; in which latter case heavenly good is presently communicated, and heavenly joy succeeds. Verses 16-18.

  1. Treasure not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves dig through and steal:

That the knowledges of good and truth ought not to be stored up in the external memory only, or in the natural understanding only, because in that case, not being incorporated into the life, they may be taken away and lost. Verse 19.

  1. But treasure up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal:

But they ought to be stored up in the internal man, by influencing the will and its love, in which case they cannot perish, being incorporated into the life. Verse 20.

  1. But treasure up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal:

That the state of the will and its love depends upon the state of its reception of the knowledges of good and truth. Verse 21.

  1. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye be simple, your whole body shall be luminous;

That if the understanding of truth be grounded in the will of good, man becomes enlightened with true wisdom in all things belonging to salvation. Verse 22.

  1. But if your eye be evil, your whole body shall be darksome : if therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great [is] the darkness?

But it is otherwise, if the understanding of truth be grounded in the love of evil, for in this case truth is falsified, which is a worse state than that of mere ignorance. Verse 23.

  1. No one can serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will adhere to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon.

That man cannot be principled at the same time both in good and evil, or in love to the lord and self-love; for one must be the ruling love, and the other must serve. Verse 24.

  1. Therefore I say to you, Be not solicitous for your soul, what you shall eat and what you shall drink; nor for your body what you shall put on. Is not the soul more than meat, and the body than clothing ?

That the good of love with its intelligence, and all the truths of faith, are continually provided for man by the lord.Verse 25.

  1. Look to the birds of the heaven; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your Heavenly Father feeds them. Do you not differ much from them?

That all things of spiritual intelligence are continually nourished by good from the lord, without any care of their own, much more the things of celestial love. Verse 26.

  1. But which of you by being solicitous can add to his stature one cubit?

And that man cannot give increase to that intelligence and love by any care of his own separate from the Divine Providence. Verse 27.

  1. And why are you solicitous about clothing? Learn of the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;

That in like manner all inferior truths are provided of the lord.Verse 28.

  1. But I say to you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

And that in them is contained Divine Truth and Good. Verse 29.

  1. But if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, [shall He] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith?

That if the lord's Divine Providence thus extends to the lowest things and principles in the regenerate life, how much more to the higher? Verse 30.

  1. Be not therefore solicitous, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be arrayed?

That therefore man ought to depend upon the Divine Providence for sustenance in all degrees of his life, and not to trust to his own prudence. Verse 31.

  1. For all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.

That the unregenerate are more solicitous about external or natural life, than about internal or spiritual life, when yet the lord wills that external or natural life, and the things thereof, should administer to internal or spiritual life. Verse 32.

  1. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added to you.

That therefore spiritual truth and good ought to be exalted above natural; in which case both are preserved. Verse 33.

  1. Be not then solicitous for the morrow; for the morrow shall be solicitous for the things of itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

That man ought thus to love at all times under the protection and blessing of the Divine Providence of the lord, and free from care and anxiety. Verse 34.

    That every state of good and truth has its opposite state of evil and the false; from which latter, they are protected who depend upon the Divine Providence. Verse 34, latter part.

Chapter VI

  1. Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be regarded of them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father that [is] in the heavens.
  2. When therefore you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified of men. Verily I say to you, They have their reward.
  3. But when you do alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does:
  4. That your alms may be in what is hidden, and your Father that sees in what is hidden, shall Himself reward you in what is manifest.
  5. And when you prayest, you shall not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may appear to men. Verily I say to you, That they have their reward.
  6. But you, when you prayest, enter into your closet, and when you hast shut your door, pray to your Father that [is] in what is hidden, and thy Father that sees in what is hidden, shall reward you in what is manifest.
  7. But when you pray, do not multiply words, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard in their much speaking.
  8. Be not you therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.
  9. Thus therefore pray you: Father of us that [are] in the heavens, hallowed be Your name:
  10. Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.
  11. Give us today our daily bread;
  12. And remit to us our debts, as we also remit to our debtors;
  13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil: for Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, into the ages. Amen.
  14. For if you remit to men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also remit to you:
  15. But if you do not remit to men their trespasses, neither will your Father remit your trespasses.
  16. But when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they cover their faces, that they may appear to men to fast. Verily I say to you, That they have their reward.
  17. But you, when you fastest, anoint your head, and wash your face;
  18. That you appear not to men to fast, but to your Father that [is] in what is hidden, and your Father that sees in what is hidden, shall reward you in what is manifest.
  19. Treasure not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves dig through and steal:
  20. But treasure up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal:
  21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
  22. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye be simple, your whole body shall be luminous;
  23. But if your eye be evil, your whole body shall be darksome: if therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great [is] the darkness?
  24. No one can serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will adhere to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon.
  25. Therefore I say to you, Be not solicitous for your soul, what ye shall eat and what you shall drink; nor for your body what you shall put on. Is not the soul more than meat, and the body than clothing?
  26. Look to the birds of the heaven; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your Heavenly Father feeds them. Do you not differ much from them?
  27. But which of you by being solicitous can add to his stature one cubit?
  28. And why are you solicitous about clothing? Learn of the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;
  29. But I say to you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
  30. But if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, [shall He] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith?
  31. Be not therefore solicitous, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be arrayed?
  32. For all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
  33. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added to you.
  34. Be not then solicitous for the morrow; for the morrow shall be solicitous for the things of itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

EXPOSITION.

Chapter VI.

verses 2-6.Take heed that you do not your alms before men, &c. - By alms, in the universal sense, is signified every good which man wills and, does; and by praying, in the same sense, is signified every truth which man thinks and speaks; they who do those two things that they may be seen, that is, that they may appear, they do good and speak truth for the sake of themselves and the world, for they do good and speak truth for the sake of glory, which is the delight of self-love, which delight they have from the world; inasmuch as the delight of glory is to these a reward, therefore it is said that they have their reward, but the delight of glory, which in the world appears to them as heaven, after death is turned into hell: but they who do good and speak truth not for the sake of themselves and the world, but for the sake of good itself and truth itself, these are meant by those who do alms in what is hidden, and who pray in what is hidden, for they do and pray from love or affection, thus from the Lord, this, therefore, is to love good and truth for the sake of good and truth; of these therefore it is said that the Father in the heavens will reward them in what is manifest; wherefore, to be in goods and in truths from love or affection, which is the same thing with being in them from the Lord, is the reward, inasmuch as in those principles there is heaven, and every blessedness and satisfaction of heaven. By reward is properly meant that delight, satisfaction, and blessedness, which is in the love or affection of good and truth; this love or this affection has in it every joy of heart, which is called heavenly joy, and also heaven; the reason is, because the Lord is in that love or that affection, and with the Lord also heaven; that joy, therefore, or that delight, satisfaction, and blessedness it is, which is properly meant by the reward to be received by those who do good and speak truth from the love and affection of good and truth, thus from the Lord, but in no case from themselves, and inasmuch as it is from the Lord, and not from themselves, it is not the reward of merit, but is the reward of grace. AE 695.

Verse 3. Let not your left hand know what your right hand does.-By this is signified that good ought to be done from a principle of good, and for the sake of good, and not for the sake of self and the world that it may appear: by alms is meant every good work; and by the left hand not knowing what the right hand does is signified, that good ought to be done from the principle of good itself, and not without that principle, inasmuch as that is not good; by the right hand is signified the good from which [good is done], and by the left hand is signified truth from good, as was said above; this acts in unity with those who are in the good of love and charity, but not in unity with those who respect themselves and the world in the goods which they do, wherefore by the left hand is here meant to know and to act without good; that your alms may be in secret signifies, that they be not done for the sake of appearance. AE 600.

Verse 6. But you, when you prayest, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, &c. - It was a customary form of speech amongst the ancients, to talk of entering into a closet, and also of shutting the door on the occasion, when they meant to do anything which should not appear: this form of speech was derived from significatives in the ancient church; for by house, in. the spiritual sense, they understood man, 8128; by the closets and the bed-chambers they understood the interiors of man: hence to come or enter into a closet signified into themselves, consequently that it did not appear: and inasmuch as entering into a closet was significative, therefore mention is made of it in the Word throughout, as in Isaiah: "Depart my people, enter into your closets, and shut your door after you; hide yourself as for a little moment, until anger pass away," Is 26:20; that to enter into closets, in this passage, does not denote entering into closets, is very manifest, but to keep themselves in secret, and in themselves. AC 5694.

Verses 7, 8. But when you pray do not multiply words, &c. - By prayers, in an internal sense, are understood all things belonging to worship. Worship does not consist in prayers and in external devotions, but in a life of charity; prayers are only the externals thereof, for they proceed from the man by his mouth, wherefore, according to the quality of the man as to his life, such are his prayers: it matters not for a man to assume an humble deportment, to be upon his knees, and sigh when he prays, these are external things, and unless the externals proceed from internals, they are only gestures and sounds without life; in every thing which a man speaks there is affection, and every man, spirit, and angel, is his own affection, for their affection is their life: it is the affection itself which speaks, and not the man without it, wherefore, according to the quality of the affection, such is the praying. Spiritual affection is what is called charity towards our neighbour; to be in that affection is true worship; prayer is what thence proceeds: hence it may appear that the essential principle of worship is a life of charity. Inasmuch as essential Divine worship primarily consists in the life, and not in prayers, therefore the Lord said, that in praying, much speaking and repetition should not be used, as in Matthew: "When you pray, do not multiply words, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard in their much speaking; be not you therefore like them." Matt 6:7, 8. AE 325.

Piety consists in thinking and speaking piously; in devoting much time to prayer; in behaving with becoming humility during that time; in frequenting places of public worship, and attending devoutly to the discourses delivered there; in receiving the sacrament of the Holy Supper frequently every year; and in a due observance of the various other parts of Divine worship, according to the ordinances of the church. But the life of charity consists in cultivating good will towards the neighbour, and endeavouring to promote his interest; in being guided in all our actions by justice and equity, good and truth, and in this manner discharging every duty; in one word, the life of charity consists in the performance of uses. Divine worship primarily consists in the life of charity, and secondarily in that of piety; he, therefore, who separates the one from the other, that is, who lives in the practice of piety, and not at the same time in the exercise of charity, does not worship God. He thinks indeed of God, yet not from God, but from himself: bethinks of himself continually, and not at all of the neighbour; even if he does think of the neighbour, it is with disesteem, unless he be like himself. He likewise thinks of heaven as a reward, and he entertains in his mind the idea of merit, and also the love of self, together with a contempt or neglect of uses, and thus of the neighbour; whilst at the same time he believes in himself that he is blameless. Hence it may be seen that the life of piety, separate from the life of charity, is next the spiritual life which is essential to Divine worship. See Matt 6:7, 8. NJHD 124.

Verse 9. Father of us that are in the heavens.-See Exposition, verse 48 of the preceding chapter. The reason why the Lord, in the supreme sense, is denoted by Father, is because He gives new life to man, and by it makes man a son and heir of His kingdom. AC 8897.

By God and the Father, in the spiritual sense, are not meant two persons; but by God is meant the Divine as to wisdom, and by Father the Divine as to love: for there are two [principles] in the Lord, Divine Wisdom and Divine Love, or Divine Truth and Divine Good: these two [principles] in the Old Testament are meant by God and Jehovah, which is the same thing as by God and the Father. Now, whereas, the Lord teaches, that He and the Father are one, and that He is in the Father, and the Father in Him, John 10:30, 14:10, 11; by God and Father are not meant two persons, but the Lord alone, for the Divine is one and individual. That the Lord himself also is the Father, is manifest from the following passages in Isaiah: "To us a boy is born, to us a sort is given, whose name is Wonderful, God, Hero,father of eternity, the Prince of Peace." Is 9:6. Again, "You Jehovah are our Father, Your name is our Redeemer." Is 63:16. And in John, "If you have known Me, you have also known My Father, and now on you have known Him and have seen Him. Philip says, Lord, shew us the Father; Jesus says to him, He who sees Me sees the Father; how then say you, Show us the Father? Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me." John 14:7, 8, 9, 11. AR 21, 170. See also TCR 307, 583; and AC 8760, 8761, and 8864 at the end.

Verse 9. Hallowed be Your name.-In many passages in the Word it is said, for the sake of the name of Jehovah, for the sake of the name of the Lord, for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ, that the name of God is to be hallowed, and the like: they, who do not think beyond the sense of the letter, imagine that name alone is meant in those passages; nevertheless, name is not meant, but all that whereby the Lord is worshiped, all which has relation to love and faith; hence, by the name of the Lord in the Word, are meant all the things of love and faith by which He is worshiped. The reason of this, that by the name of Jehovah or the Lord is not meant the name itself, but all the things of love and faith, originates in the spiritual world; names in use upon earth are not there uttered; but the names of the persons, of whom they speak, are formed from the idea of all the things which are known concerning them, which are compacted into one expression; such is the utterance of names in the spiritual world, and hence it is that also names there, like all other things, are spiritual: the name Lord, and the name Jesus Christ, are not there uttered as in the earth, but instead of those names a name is formed from the idea of all things which are known and believed concerning Him, which idea is derived from all the things of love and faith in Him, the reason is, because these, in the complex, are the Lord with them; for the Lord is with every one in the goods of love and faith which are from Him: this being the case, every one there is immediately known, in respect to bis quality as to love and

faith in the Lord, if so be he only utters in a spiritual voice or spiritual name, the Lord or Jesus Christ: and hence also it is that they who are not in any love or any faith in Him, cannot name Him, that is, form any spiritual name concerning Him: from these considerations it is now evident, whence it is that by the name of Jehovah, of the Lord or Jesus Christ, in the Word, is not meant a name, but the all of love and of faith by which He is worshiped. Inasmuch as by the name of Jehovah or the Lord, in the spiritual sense, is signified all worship grounded in the good of love and the truths of faith, therefore, in the supreme sense by the name of Jehovah is meant the Lord as to the Divine Humanity, by reason that, from His Divine Humanity proceeds the all of the lov and of faith. That the Lord in the supreme sense, is meant by the name of Jehovah, is evident from John: "Jesus said, Father glorify Your name: there came a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified and will glorify [it] again." John 12:28. And in Isaiah, "I will give you for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations; I [am] Jehovah, this is My name, and My glory will I not give to another," Is 42:6, 8; speaking of the Lord about to come. And in Jeremiah, "Behold the days shall come, when I will raise up to David a just branch, who shall reign a King, and this is His name by which they shall call Him, Jehovah our Justice." Jer 23:5, 6. Hence it is evident what is meant in the Lord's prayer by Hallowed be Your Name, namely, that the Divine Humanity of the Lord ought to be accounted holy, and to be worshiped. AE 102. See also TCR 112 and 113; AR 613; AC 2009; and DP 230.

Verse 10. Your kingdom come.-The term kingdom, when mentioned in the Word, signifies heaven and the church where truths are; the reason why it denotes the church as to truth, or where truths are, is, because by the kingly [principle] of the Lord is signified the Divine Truth proceeding from Him, and hence by kings are signified truths; it is said the church as to truth, by which is meant the church as to truths grounded in good, because no truths are given without good, for truths have life from good; the truths belonging, to man who is not in good, are indeed in themselves truths, but they are not truths in him, as may be seen abundantly shown in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, NJHD 11-27. That kingdom in the Word signifies heaven and the church as to truths, is manifest from several passages in the Word, as in Matthew: "The sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness," Matt.8:12; where the sons of the kingdom denote those who are of the church where truths do not reign but falses. Again,"When any one hears the Word of the kingdom, and does not attend, the evil one comes, and seizes upon what was sown in the heart; he is it that was sown by the way side; the field is the world, the seed are the sons of the kingdom," Matt 13:19, 38; to hear the Word of the kingdom denotes the truths of the church: and whereas seed signifies truths, therefore they who receive truths are called the sons of the kingdom: again, "Therefore the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth fruit," Matt 21:48; where it is manifest that the kingdom of God signifies the church as to truths, thus also the truths of the church, inasmuch as it is said, that it should be taken away from them, and given to a nation bringing forth fruit: fruit is good. From these passages it is evident what is meant by kingdom in the Lord's prayer, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done as in heaven, so also in earth: Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory." Matt 6:10, 13. Your kingdom come, signifies that truth may be received; Your will be done, signifies that it is received by those who do the will of God; Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, signifies Divine Truth from God alone; mention is made also of power and glory, because Divine Truth has all power and glory. From these considerations it may be seen what the kingdom of God signifies in very many passages in the Word, namely, the church as to truths, and also heaven, and, in the supreme sense, the Lord as to the Divine Humanity: the reason why by kingdom, in the supreme sense, is signified the Lord as to the Divine Humanity, is, because from Him all Divine Truth proceeds; and the reason why by kingdom is signified heaven, is, because heaven with the angels is from no other source than from the Divine Truth which proceeds from the Divine Humanity of the Lord, as may be seen in the work On Heaven and Hell, HH 7-12, 78-80, 126-140. AE 48. That the kingdom of the Lord is the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth, thus with those who receive, may be manifest from this consideration, that the Lord, with the angels of heaven and with men of the church, reigns by that which proceeds from Him, which is commonly culled Divine Good and Divine Truth, also justice and judgement, and likewise love and faith; these are the things by which the Lord reigns, consequently, these are properly the kingdom of the Lord with those who receive; for when those things reign with angels and men, then the Lord Himself reigns, for the things which proceed from Him are Himself, the Lord in heaven being nothing else than the Divine Proceeding. The Lord indeed not only governs those who receive Divine-

celestial and spiritual things from Him, but also those who do not receive, as all in hell, but still it cannot be said that the kingdom of the Lord is there, inasmuch as they are altogether unwilling to be governed by the Divine which proceeds, and according to the laws of its order; yea, they deny the Lord, and avert themselves from Him, but still the Lord governs them, not as the subjects and citizens of His kingdom, but as the refractory and the rebellious, by keeping them in bonds to prevent their doing evil to each other, and especially to those who are of His kingdom. That that is the kingdom of the Lord which proceeds from Him and is received, may be manifest from the passages in the Word where mention is made of the kingdom of God, as in the Lord's prayer, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in heaven so also in earth," Matt 6:10; that by kingdom, in this passage, is meant the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth, which proceed from the Lord, and in which the Lord is with the angels of heaven, and with the men of the church, is evident, for it follows, Your will be done as in heaven so also in earth; the will of God is done, when those things are received in the heart and soul, that is, in love and faith. AE 6837. See also AC 1285.

That the name of God is hallowed, and his kingdom comes, when the Lord is immediately approached, and not at all when God the Father is immediately approached. See TCR 113.

Verse 10. Your will be done, as in heaven so also in earth.- By will, when spoken of the Lord, is signified the Divine Love; the reason is, because the Divine Itself, from which all things are, is Divine Love, hence the Lord appears before the angels as a fiery and flaming Sun, and this by reason that love in the spiritual world appears as fire, from which ground it is that fire in the Word, when predicated of the Lord, of heaven and of the church, signifies love; and whereas the Divine Itself, from which all things are, is Divine Love, therefore also, will, when spoken of that principle, is Divine Love, for what love itself wills, this is the good of love; the truth, which is called [the truth] of faith, is only a medium that good may exist, and then, that truth may exist from good: from this origin come will and understanding with man; the will is the receptacle of the good of love appertaining to him, and the understanding is the receptacle of the truth of faith belonging to him. Inasmuch as the will of man is his love, and the will of God is the Divine Love, it may be manifest what is meant in the spiritual sense by doing the will of God and the will of the Father, namely, that it is to love God above all things, and our neighbour as ourselves; and whereas to love is to will, thus also to do, for what a man loves this he wills, and what he wills he also does; hence by doing the will of God or the Father, is meant to do His precepts, or to live according to them from the affection of love or charity. The will of the Lord is called His good pleasure in the Old Testament, and in like manner signifies the Divine Love; and to do it, or His will, signifies to love God and our neighbour, thus to live according to the precepts of the Lord. AE 295.

The above explication of what is meant by our Father in the heavens, hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come -, Your will be done, as in heaven, so also in earth, may be confirmed by the following passages from the Word:-

  1. That our father in the heavens is the Lord Jesus Christ, may be confirmed from the following passages: "A boy is born to us, a Son is given to us, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, GOD, father of eternity, the Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:5. "You Jehovah are the father, the redeemer : from an age is Your name." Isaiah 63:16. "Jesus said, He who sees Me, sees Him who sent Me." John 12:45. "If ye have known Me, you have known the Father also, and now on you have known Him, and have seen Him" John 14:7. "Philip said, Lord, shew us the Father: Jesus said to him, He who sees Me, sees the Father; how then say eat you, Show us the Father?" John 14:8, 9. "Jesus said, I and the Father are one." John 10:30. "All things whatever the Father has are Mine." John 16:15, 17:10; "The Father is in Me, and I in the Father." John 10:38, 14:10, 11, 20. "No one has seen the "Father, except the Son alone, who is in the bosom of the Father." John 1:18, 5:37, 6:46. Wherefore also He says, that "No one comes to the Father but by Me;" John 14:6. and that to come to the Father is by [or through] Him, from Him, and in Him. John 6:56, 14:20, 15:4, 5, 6, 17:19, 23.
  2. That HALLOWED BE THY NAME, denotes to go to the Lord and worship Him may be confirmed by the following passages: "Who shall not glorify your name, because You alone are holy" Rev 15:4, speaking of the Lord. "Jesus said, Father, glorify your name; and a voice came forth from heaven, I have both glorified and will glorify," John 12:28. The name of the Father which was glorified is the Divine Humanity. ''Jesus said, I come in the name of my father." John 5:43. "Jesus said, He that receives this boy in my name receives Me; and HE THAT RECEIVES ME, RECEIVES HIM WHO SENT ME," Luke 9:48. "These things are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John 20:31. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power that they might be the sons of God, to them that believe in his name." John i. xii. "Whatsoever things you shall ask in my name, this will i do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John 14:13, 14. "He that believes not, is condemned already, because he has not BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD." John 3:15, 16, 18. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt 18:19, 20. "Jesus said to His disciples, That they should preach in his name," Luke 24:47; besides in other passages, where it is said the name of the lord by which is meant Himself as to His Humanity, as in Matt 7:22, 10:22, 18:5, 19:29, 24:9, 10; Mark 11:10, 13:13, 16:17; Luke 10:17, 19:38, 21:12, 17; John 2:23; from which passages it is evident, that the Father is sanctified in the Son, and by angels and men through the Son, and that this is meant by hallowed be Your name, as is further manifest in John 17:19, 21, 22, 23, 26.
  3. That your kingdom come, denotes that the Lord may reign, may be confirmed by the following passages: "The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of god is evangelized."Luke 16:16. "John, preaching the gospel of the kingdom said, The time is fulfilled; the kingdom of god is at hand." Mark 1:14, 15; Matt 3:2. "Jesus Himself preached the gospel of the kingdom, and that the kingdom of god was at hand." Matt 4:17, 23, 9:35. "Jesus commanded the disciples that they should preach and evangelize the kingdom of god." Mark 16:15; Luke 8:1, 9:60. In like manner, "the seventy whom He sent forth," Luke 10:9, 11; besides in other passages, as Matt 11:5, 16:27, 28; Mark 9:1, 47, 10:29, 30, 11:10; Luke 1:19, 2:10, 11,4:43, 7:22, 17:20, 21, 21:30, 31, 22:18. The kingdom of God which was evangelized was the kingdom of the Lord, and thereby the kingdom of the Father. That this is the case is evident from the following passages: " The Father has given all things into the hands of the Son." John 3:35. " The Father has given to the Son power of all flesh." John 17:2. " All things have been delivered to Me by the Father." Matt 11:27. " All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth." Matt 28:16. And further from these passages: "Jehovah Zebaoth is His name, and the Redeemer the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall He be called." Isaiah 54:5. "I saw and behold as the son of man, to whom was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, and all people and nations shall worship Him: His dominion is the dominion of an age, which shall not pass, and His kingdom that which shall not perish." Dan 7:13, 14. "When the seventh angel sounded, great voices were heard in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign into ages of ages," Rev 11:15, 12:10; which kingdom is treated of in the Apocalypse from beginning to end, into which all are about to come who shall be of the Lord's new church, which is the New Jerusalem.
  4. That THY WILL BE DONE, AS IN HEAVEN, SO ALSO IN EARTH, signifies as above, may be confirmed by the following passages: "Jesus said, This is the will of the father, that every one who sees the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life." John 6:40. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that every one who believes in Him may not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:15, 16. "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; but he who believes not the Son, shall not see life, but the anger of god abides on him," John 3:36; besides other places: to believe in Him is to go to Him, and to have confidence that He saves, because He is the Saviour of the world. Besides, it is a known thing in the Church, that the Lord Jesus Christ reigns in heaven; He says also Himself, that His kingdom is there: when therefore the Lord, in like manner, reigns in the Church, then the will of the Father is done as in heaven, so also in earth.

To the above may be added as follows:-It is said in the whole Christian world, that they who are of the church make the body of Christ, and are in His body; how", then, can a man of the church go to God the Father, except by [or through] Him, in whose body he is? if otherwise, he must go forth altogether out of the body and approach. AR 839.

Verse 10. As in heaven, so also in earth.-Heaven signifies the internal man, and earth the external man, before regeneration. AC 16, 82. See also AC 2162. For the distinction between the internal and external man, see NJHD 36-53.

Verse 11. Give us today our daily bread.-That by today is signified what is perpetual, is manifest from the signification of to-day, when the expression is used in the Word: it is manifest also from the sacrifice which was offered every day, and which by reason of the signification of day, of daily, and of today,was called the continual or perpetual sacrifice. Num 28:3, 23; Dan 8:13, 11:31, 12:11. This appears still more evident from the manna, which rained from heaven, concerning which it is thus written in Moses, "Behold I cause to rain bread from heaven, and the people shall go forth, and shall gather the thing day by day; and there shall not be left of it to the morning: what they left to the morning produced worms, and stank, except what was gathered on the day before the sabbath, Exod 16:4, 19, 20, 23; the reason of this was, because manna signified the Divine Humanity, of the Lord, John 6:31, 32, 49, 50, 58; and because it signified the Divine Humanity of the Lord, it also signified heavenly food, which is no other than love and charity, with the goods and truths of faith; this food in the heavens is given to the angels every moment by the Lord, thus for ever and to eternity. This also is what is meant in the Lord's prayer by the petition, give us to-day our daily bread, Matt 6:11; Luke 11:3; that is, every instant to eternity. AC 2838.

By day is signified state in general. AC 23, 487, 488, 493, 893.

Bread, when spoken of by the Lord, signifies the Divine Good of the Divine [principle] of His love, and the reciprocal good of the man who eats it; it also signifies all heavenly and spiritual food, thus everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God, according to the words of the Lord in Matt 4:4; which food is science, intelligence, and wisdom, thus good and truth, the former being derived from the latter. Bread is moreover predicated of every good which proceeds from the Lord. and is imparted from Him to man. NJHD 218-221. See "also TCR 705.

That by bread, is not meant natural bread, but heavenly bread, is plain from these words: ''Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Jehovah does man live." Deut 8:3. "I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." Amos 8:11. That it means spiritual food is evident from these words: "Labour not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give you." John 6:27. TCR 707.

It is given to the angels by the Lord every moment what to think, and this with blessedness and happiness, which is implied also, in the internal sense, by the daily bread above-mentioned, and likewise by the Lord's precept to His disciples, not to be solicitous about what they eat or drink, or with what they are clothed. AC 2493.

Verse 12. And remit to us, &c. - To remit is not to look at any one from evil but from good. AC 7697.

Whensoever sins are removed, they are also remitted; for repentance precedes remission, and without repentance there is no remission, wherefore the Lord commanded the disciples that they should preach repentance for the remission of sins, Luke 25:47; and John preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Luke 3:3. The Lord remits to every one his sins: He does not accuse and impute, nevertheless sins cannot be taken away except, by the laws of the Lord's Divine Providence; for when Peter asked Him how often he should remit to his brother who sinned against him, whether seven times, He said that he should remit not only seven times, but even to seventy times seven. Matt 18:21, 22. What then must be the Lord's remission, who is mercy itself? DP 280.

I have heard from heaven, that the Lord remits to every one his sins, and never punishes for them, nor even imputes them, inasmuch as He is essential love and essential good; but that nevertheless sins are not on this account wiped away, because that can only be effected by repentance. TCR 409.

Remission of sins is the detaining a man from evils, and the keeping him in good by the Lord. That to see and judge of things from a principle of good and not of evil is an effect of the remission of sins. See NJHD 170.

Hence it is manifest what is understood by kingdom in the Lord's prayer, "Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, as in heaven so also in the earth: Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory." Matt 6:10, 13. Thy kingdom come, signifies that truth may be received; Your will be done, signifies that it may be received by those who do the will of God; Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, signifies Divine Truth from the Lord alone; it is also said power and glory, because to Divine Truth appertain all power and glory, as may be seen above, AE 34. From these considerations it may be seen what the kingdom of God signifies in many more passages in the Word, namely, it signifies the church as to truths, also heaven, and in a supremo sense the Lord, as to His Divine-human [principle]. The reason why in a supreme sense by kingdom is signified the Lord as to His Divine-human [principle], is because all Divine Truth proceeds from Him; the reason why kingdom signifies heaven is, because heaven with the angels is from no other source than from Divine Truth, which proceeds from the Lord's Divine-human [principle]. See HH 7-12, 78-86, 126-140. AE 48.

That the Lord has now His kingdom in the earth as in the heavens, appears from the signification of Alleluja, as denoting the expression of glorification of the Lord from joy of heart, concerning which see AC 1197, 1203: it is said joy and gladness, because in the Word joy is predicated of good and gladness of truth, and here the angels, both those who were in truths and those who were in goods, said Alleluja; and from the signification of, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns, as denoting that His kingdom is on the earth as in the heavens, whereby is understood that after the good were separated from the evil, and the evil cast into hell, then all the good came into a better state of receiving truth and good from the Lord, in which they were not before; for so long as they were in connection with evil, if they had received goods and truths, they would have contaminated and perverted them; this also is the cause that interior truths were not revealed in the earth before that separation was effected by the last judgement. This also is understood in the Lord's Prayer by "Your kingdom come on earth, as in the heavens;" the Lord's kingdom was also before the last judgement, for the Lord always rules both heaven and earth; but the state of His kingdom after the last judgement became other than before it, as the reception of Divine truth and good became thereby more universal, more interior, more easy, and more distinct. AE 1217.

Verse 13. Lead us not into temptation.-According to the literal sense it appears, that the Lord leads man into temptation; but the internal sense is, that the Lord leads no one into temptation. AC 3425.

The Lord tempts no man, but is continually endeavouring to deliver from temptations, so far as is possible, or so far as deliverance does not promote evil. He continually also has respect to good, into which He leads him who is in temptations; for God never concurs with temptations in any other manner; and although it is predicated of Him that He permits, still it is not according to the idea which man has of permission, namely, that He concurs by permitting; for man cannot conceive otherwise but that he who permits, also wills, when yet it is the evil belonging to man which causes temptation. and which also leads into temptation, the cause whereof is not at all in God. AC 2768.

The proximate causes of temptations are the evils and falses appertaining to man, consequently the evil spirits and genii who infuse them; nevertheless no one can be tempted, that is, undergo any spiritual temptation, unless he has conscience: for spiritual temptation is nothing else but torment of conscience, consequently no others can be tempted, except they who are in celestial and spiritual good, for these have conscience, whereas others have it not, and do not even know what conscience is: conscience is a new will and a new understanding from the Lord; thus it is the presence of the Lord with man, and the nearer this is, so much the more man is in the affection of good or truth: if the presence of the Lord be nearer than in the degree in which man is in the affection of good or truth, man comes into temptation; the reason is, because the evils and falses which appertain to man, tempered with the goods and truths belonging to him, cannot endure a nearer presence. AC 4299.

Concerning the nature, the origin, and the good effects of temptation, see NJHD 187, 199, &c.

Deliver us from evil.- Evil and the devil are one. Evil is the delight of the concupisence of acting and thinking contrary to Divine Order. DP 33, 279. It flows in from hell, and has in it enmity, hatred, revenge, and cruelty. AC 5763, 10618.

Deliverance from evil is effected, so far as man acknowledges and believes that goods flow in from the Lord, and not from himself; and that evils flow in from hell; in this case goods affect him and evils do not adhere to him; and so far as goods affect him, so far evils are removed, thus he is purified and delivered from them. But so long as the state of man is such, that he cannot perceive and be sensible of the influx of goods from the Lord, so long he does goods as from himself, but still he ought to acknowledge and believe that it is from the Lord, and when this is the case he is also delivered from evils; but for this purpose, the acknowledgement must not only be the confession of the mouth, but the confession of the heart. AC 10219.

Purification or deliverance from evils is nothing else but their removal; and man is withheld from them so long as he is held in good by the Lord. AC 10228.

That man cannot be delivered from his evils except by temptations, which are infestations from evil spirits, and consequent combats, see DP 19.

For Yours is the kingdom.-By the kingdom of God, in its universal sense, is meant the universal heaven; in a sense less universal, the true church of the Lord; and in a particular sense, every particular person of a "true faith, or who is regenerated by the life of faith; wherefore such a person is also called heaven, because heaven is in him: and likewise the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God is in him, as the Lord Himself teaches in Luke: "Jesus being asked of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, answered them and said, The kingdom of God comes not with observation, neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20, 21. AC 29.

The Lord is every thing in His kingdom; the Divine things, which are from the Lord in His kingdom, constitute His kingdom; therefore, according to the degree of good and truth which any angel, spirit, or man receives from the Lord, and believes to be from the Lord, in the same degree he is in His kingdom, but in the degree that he does not receive, neither believes it to he from the Lord, in the same degree he is not in His kingdom; thus the Divine things which are from the Lord constitute His kingdom or heaven, and this is what is meant by the Lord being every thing in His kingdom. AC 2904.

Yours is the power.-:All power in the spiritual world is from good by truth: without good truth is of no avail, for truth is as a body, and good is as the soul of that body, and the soul can effect nothing except by a body; hence it is evident, that truth without good has no power at all. AC 6344.

All power in the heavens belongs to truth from good, or is the power of good by truth; and whereas all good and all truth are from the Lord, and none from man, therefore all power belongs to the Lord. AE 768.

And the glory.-Glory is predicated of Divine Truth; by it is also meant the Divine Majesty and Divine Wisdom. AR 22.

So far as the angels of heaven are in Divine Truth, so far they are in the splendour of glory. AR 629. The Word is the Divine Truth, and also light; and glory denotes all that appears concerning the Lord in that light. In various passages, glory and light are named together; light is Divine Truth from the Lord, thus the Lord Himself as to Divine Truth, and glory is every thing which is of the light, consequently every thing which is from the Divine Truth which makes intelligence and wisdom with the angels, and with the men who receive the Lord in faith and love. AC 10574.

To give the Lord glory and honour is to attribute to Him all truth, and all good. AR 249.

Into the ages.-An age, when spoken of the Lord and of His kingdom, and of heaven, and of the life therein, of which there is no end, signifies eternity. AC 10248. AR 22.

Amen-signifies Divine confirmation of truth, consequently from the Lord Himself. Amen signifies truth, and because the Lord was Truth Itself, therefore He so often said, "amen I say to you," as in Matthew 5:18, 26, 6:16, and in many other places; also in the Revelation, "These things says the amen,the faithful and true witness," Re8:14; that is the Lord. AR 23, 199, 292. TCR 572.

Verse 17. You when you fastest, &c. - To fast signifies to mourn, inasmuch as in mourning they fasted; and whereas on such occasions they desisted from the testification of gladness, therefore, on such occasions, neither were they wont to anoint themselves with oil, as in Daniel: "I Daniel was mourning three weeks; the bread of desires I did not eat, and flesh and wine did not come to my mouth, and anointing, I was not anointed, until the three weeks of days were fulfilled." Dan.10:3. It was in common use to anoint themselves and others with oil, to testify gladness of mind and benevolence. AE 375.

By fasting is signified to mourn on account of the defect of truth and good. AE 1189.

Anoint your head.-Among the ancients, when all external worship was performed by representatives, namely, by such things as represented the interior principles which are of faith and of love from the Lord and to Him, thus which are Divine, anointing was instituted, by reason that oil, by which anointing was performed, signified the good of love: for they knew that the good of love was the essential principle itself, from which all things that are of the church, and that are of worship, live, for it is the esse of life; for the Divine [principle] flows in by [or through] the good of love into man, and makes his life, and life celestial where truths are received in good: hence it is evident what anointings represented; wherefore the things which were anointed were called holy, and were also accounted holy, and served the church to represent Divine and celestial things, and in the supreme sense the Lord Himself, who is good itself; thus to represent the good of love which is from Him, and also the truth of faith so far as this lives from the good of love. AC 9954, where the subject is much more extensively treated.

Wash your face.-By washing in the Word, is signified to cleanse oneself from evils and falses. AE 378; and face signifies the interiors, because the interiors of the mind manifest themselves by the face. AC 358, 1983.

Verse 19. Treasure not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, &c. - Treasures are the knowledges of truth and good; to lay them up in heaven is in the spiritual man, for the spiritual man is in heaven. AE 193.

In the work concerning Heaven and Hell, HH 357-365, it is shown that both rich and poor, and also great and small, are in heaven, and likewise in hell; from which consideration it is evident that dignities and riches, with those who are in heaven, during their abode in the world, were blessings, and that with those who are in hell, during their abode in the world, they were curses. Whence it is that they are blessings, and whence it is that they are curses, every one may know, if he only thinks on the subject from reason, namely, that they are blessings with those who do not place the heart in them, and that they are curses with those who do place the heart in them; to place the heart in them is to love self in them, and not to place the heart in them is to love uses and not self in them. DP 217.

Where thieves break through and steal-denotes the unexpected time of death, when all knowledges procured from the Word will be snatched away, which have not gained spiritual life; that this is the case, appears from the signification of a thief coming, when spoken of those who do not watch, that is, who do not procure to themselves spiritual life, as denoting that all knowledges procured from the Word, which have not gained spiritual life, would be taken away from them. Inasmuch as it is known to few, that all knowledges procured from the Word, which have not gained spiritual life, are snatched away, it may be expedient to show how this case is; all things which are in the spirit of man remain with him to eternity, but those things which are not in the spirit of man, are dissipated after death, when man becomes a spirit: those things remain in the spirit of man which man has thought from himself, consequently those things which he has thought from his own love, when he was alone by himself, for then his spirit thinks from itself, and not from those things which are in the memory of his body, and which do not make one with his love: there are two states of man, one when he thinks from his spirit, and another when he thinks from the memory of his body; the former state is what remains with man after death, but the latter does not remain, because it is of his body and not of his spirit: wherefore, when he becomes a spirit, as is the case when he dies, all the knowledges which he has procured to himself from the Word, which do not agree with the life of the love of his spirit, he rejects from himself. Inasmuch as evils and the falses thence derived penetrate from within, and as it were dig through the wall, which is between the state of the thought of man from his spirit, and the state of his thought from the body, and cast out the knowledges of truth and good which dwell exteriorly with man, therefore, those things are what are meant by thieves. AE 193.

Verse 22. The lamp of the body is the eye, &c. - By eye is here signified the understanding and faith of truth, which is called the lamp from the light of truth, which man has from understanding and faith; and whereas man from the understanding and faith of truth is made wise, it is said, if the eye be simple, the whole body is luminous ; the body is the man, and to be luminous is to be wise; but the contrary is true of an evil eye, that is, of the understanding and faith of what is false: darkness denotes falses; if the light be darkness, signifies if the truth be the false, or falsified; and whereas truth falsified is worse than every other false, it is said, if the light be darkness, how great is the darkness. AE 1081. See also AE 152. It is said, a simple eye, and simple signifies that it is one, and it is then one when truth is from good, or the understanding from the will: by the right eye also is signified the understanding of good, and by the left eye the understanding of truth, which, if they make one, the eye is simple, thus a good eye. AE 313.

Verses 22, 23. That the soul of man is in the midst, or in his inmost [part or principle], and that the body is in the circuit, or in the extremes, is well known, for it is the body which encompasses and invests the soul or human spirit; with such as are principled in celestial and spiritual love, good from the Lord flows in through the soul into the body, rendering thereby the body lucid; but with such as are principled in bodily and worldly love, good from the Lord cannot flow in through the soul into the body, but their interiors are in darkness, whence also the body becomes dark, according to what the Lord teaches in Matt 6:22, 23. By the eye is signified the intellectual principle which belongs to the soul, see AC 2701: but the case is still worse with those whose interiors are in darkness, and whose exteriors appear as it were lucid. These are such as outwardly have the semblance of angels of light, but inwardly are devils. AC 2973.

The Lord calls falsities darkness in Matthew 6:23, where darkness denotes the falses, wherein those are immersed who are principled in knowledges; signifying that the darkness of such is greater than that of those who have no knowledges, that is of the gentiles. AC 1839.

Verse 23. But if your eye be evil, &c. - See DP 264, and AC 9128.

Verse 24. - No man can serve two lords, &c. - This is not to be understood of servants in the world, since they can serve two lords, and still not hate and despise one, but it is to be understood of servants in a spiritual sense, namely, those who would love the Lord and themselves alike, and heaven and the world alike; these are they who with one eye would look upwards, and with the other downwards, or with one eye to heaven and with the other to hell, and thus hang between both; when yet there must be a predominance of loves, of one above another; and where there is a predominance, there what opposes itself, and when it opposes itself, is hated and despised; for the love of self and of the world is opposite to love to the Lord, and to love towards the neighbour; hence it is, that they who are in heavenly love would rather die, and be deprived of honours and possessions in the world, than be withdrawn thereby from the Lord and from heaven, for this latter they consider as every thing because it is eternal, but the former as nothing respectively because it has an end with the life in the world; but they, on the other hand, who love themselves and the world above all things, esteem the Lord and heaven as respectively vile, yea, they even deny them, and when they see in them what is opposite, they hate it; this appears manifestly with all such in the other life: with those who love the Lord and heaven above all things, the internal or spiritual man is open, and the external or natural man serves him, in which case the latter is a servant because he serves, and the former is a lord because he wills; but with those who love themselves and the world above all things, the internal or spiritual man is closed, and the external or natural man is open, and when the latter is open and the former closed, then he loves one lord, namely, self and the world, and hates the other, namely, the Lord and heaven; the same thing I can also testify from experience, for all who have lived to themselves and the world, and not, as they ought, to God and heaven, in the other life hate the Lord, and persecute those who are His, howsoever in the world they have spoken concerning heaven and concerning the Lord. AE 409.

The two lords are good and evil, for man must either be in good or in evil, he cannot be at the same time in both; he may be in several truths, but which are in orderly arrangement under one good; for good makes heaven with man, but evil hell, and he must be either in heaven or in hell, he cannot be in both, nor between both. AC 9167. See also DP 17,18, and 233.

The Lord, to the intent that He may render any one blessed and happy, wills a total submission, that is, that he may not be in part his own, and in part the Lord's, for in this case there are two lords, whom man cannot serve at the same time. AC 6138.

It is further to be noted, that to be led of self, and to be led of the Lord, are two opposites, for he who is led of self is led by his own loves, thus by hell, for his own loves are from that source; and he who is led of the Lord is led by the loves of heaven, which are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour; he who is led by these loves is withdrawn from his own loves; and he who is led by his own loves is withdrawn from the loves of heaven, for they in no wise agree together: for the life of man is either in heaven or in hell, nor is it granted that it should be at the same time in the one and in the other; this is meant by the Lord's words, no one can serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will adhere to the one and despise the other. AC 10362.

The celestial principle of love is signified by loving,and the spiritual principle of love is signified by adhering to; mention is made of each, because they are distinct, otherwise one expression would have been sufficient. AC 3875.

No one can serve two lords-signifies that it is impossible by faith to serve the Lord, and by love the world, thus to acknowledge truth, and to do evil; he who does this has a divided mind, hence its destruction. AC 9093 See also DLife 28.

There are two opposite spheres which surround man, one from hell, the other from heaven; from hell a sphere of evil and the false thence derived; from heaven a sphere of good, and truth thence derived; and these spheres do not affect the body, but the minds of men, for they are spiritual spheres, and hence they are affections which are of the love, man being set in the midst of thorn; in proportion therefore as he agrees to the one, in the same proportion he recedes from the other; hence it is, that in proportion as man flees from evils and hateth them, in the same proportion he wills and loves good and their derivative truth; for no one can serve two masters, for he will hate the one and love the other.-AE 902.

You cannot serve God and Mammon.-A moral life, which is the external life of man, must be either from a spiritual origin, or from an origin not spiritual; it is not allowed to be from both, that is, somewhat thereof from one origin, and somewhat from the other, or somewhat from heaven and somewhat from hell, inasmuch as this would be to serve two lords, God and Mammon, and in this case man is lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. AE 189. Mammon.-See Exposition of Luke 16:13.

Verse 25. Be not solicitous for your soul, what you shall eat, &c. - Although these things are said concerning the life of the body, yet they signify such things as relate to the life of the spirit, for all things of the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, contain in them an internal sense which is spiritual; in this sense by eating, by drinking, and by meat, is signified spiritual nourishment, which is the nourishment of faith, and with that the nourishment of the understanding, whence comes intelligence in spiritual things; hence it is said, "Be not solicitous for your soul, what you shall eat and what you shall drink, is not the soul more than meat?" where to eat denotes to perceive good intellectually, thus spiritually; to drink denotes to perceive truth intellectually, thus spiritually; and meat denotes good and truth from which comes nourishment: by clothing the body, and by clothing, is signified truth investing the good of love and of the will; by clothing is signified that truth; and by the body is signified the good of love, which is the good of the will. AE 750. See also AC 2493, 3069, 9050, and DLW 331 to 334.

Soul denotes the truth of faith; to eat and to drink denote to be instructed in the good and truth of faith, for the subject treated of, in the internal sense, is concerning spiritual life and its nourishment. AC 9050.

Verse 29. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. - This is the case with good which is from the Lord; whereas good which is from man may be compared with flowers which are painted on canvass, for these flowers are only beautiful in the external form, and, as to the internal, are nothing but mud and a heap of earthly particles rudely put together; whereas the flowers which grow in a field are beautiful from their inmost principles, for the more interiorly they are opened, the more beautiful they appear. That good which is done from man's self and good which is done from the Lord are so different from each other, man cannot know, because he judges from externals; but the angels perceive well from what source the good is which appertains to man, and hence what is its quality. AC 8480.

Verse 33. Seek you first the kingdom of God and his justice, &c. - By the kingdom of God, in the spiritual sense, is signified the Divine Truth, and by justice the Divine Good, wherefore it is said, Seek you first the kingdom of God and His justice; and, in the supreme sense, by the kingdom of God is meant the Lord, inasmuch as He is the all of His kingdom, and by justice, in the same sense, is signified the merit of the Lord: and whereas man, who is ruled by the Lord, does not will and love anything but what is of the Lord, he is led, whilst he himself is ignorant of it, to things happy to eternity, therefore it is said, that all things shall be added to him, by which is meant that all things will happen as he wishes for his salvation. AE 683.

When man in the first place loves uses by doing them, and in the second place, loves the world and himself, then the former is his spiritual principle, and the latter is his natural principle, and the spiritual has dominion, and the natural serves; hence it is evident what the spiritual principle is, and what the natural: this is understood by the Lord's words in Matthew:

"Seek you first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all things shall be added to you," Matt 6:33; the kingdom of God is the Lord and His church; and justice is spiritual, moral, and civil good; and every good which is done from the love of those goods, is use: the reason why, in this case, all things shall be added is, because when use is in the first place, then the Lord, from whom is all good, is in the first place, and has rule, and gives whatever is conducive to eternal life and happiness; for as was said, all things of the Divine Providence of the Lord belonging to man, have respect to what is eternal: all things which shall be added, are there spoken of food and clothing, because by food is also meant every thing internal which nourishes the soul, and by clothing every thing external which, as a body, clothes it; every thing internal has reference to love and wisdom, and every thing external to opulence and eminence. AE 1193.

The delights of gain and honours, when they are regarded as means conducive to heavenly life, have then life in them, by virtue of life from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, for in this case the end regarded is the Lord. When man is in such an order of life, then gains and honours are blessings to him, but if he be in an inverted order, they are then curses to him; that all tilings are blessings when man is in the order of heaven, the Lord teaches in Matthew, "Seek you first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all things shall be added to you." AC 9184. HH 64.

The truths of the church, without conjunction by good with the interior man, regard nothing for an end but gain; but when they are conjoined by good with the interior man, they then regard for an end essential good and truth, thus the church, the Lord's kingdom, and the Lord Himself; and when they regard these things for an end, then also a sufficiency of gain is allotted them, according to the Lord's words in Matthew 6:33. AC 5449.

Verse 84. Be not then solicitous for the morrow, &c.-He who looks at the subject no further than from the sense of the letter, may believe that all care for the morrow is to be cast off, and thug that the necessaries of life are to be expected daily from heaven; but he who looks at the subject deeper than from the letter, as he who looks at it from the internal sense, may know what is meant by care for the morrow; it does not mean the care of procuring for ourselves food and raiment, and also wealth for the time to come, for it is not contrary to order for a man to provide for himself and for his dependents; but they have care for the morrow who are not content with their own lot, who do not trust in the Divine, but in themselves, and who have respect only to worldly and terrestrial things, and not to heavenly; with persons of this description there universally reigns solicitude concerning future things, a desire of possessing all things, and of ruling over all [men], which is kindled and increases according to increments, and at length above all measure; such persons grieve if they do not enjoy what they desire, and are tormented when they lose the objects of their desire; neither have they any consolation, for on such occasions they are angry against the Divine, they reject it together with every thing of faith, and curse themselves; such are they who are under the prevalence of care for the morrow. It is altogether otherwise with those who trust in the Divine; these, although they have care for the morrow, still have it not, for they do not think of the morrow with solicitude, still less with anxiety; they are of an equable mind, whether they enjoy what they desire or not, neither do they grieve at the loss of what they desire, being content with their lot; if they become opulent, they do not place their heart in opulence; if they are raised to honours, they do not regard themselves as more deserving than others; neither are they sad if they become poor, nor are they dejected in mind if their condition be humble, for they know that with those who trust in the Divine, all things conduce to a happy state in eternity, and that the things which befall them in time are still conducive to that state. It is to be noted that the Divine Providence is universal, that is, in the most minute particulars of all things; and that they who are in the stream of Providence are carried continually to things happy for them, whatever may be the apparent quality of the means; and that they are in the stream of Providence who trust in the Divine, and attribute all things to Him; and that they are not in the stream of Providence who trust in themselves alone, and attribute all things to themselves, for they are in the opposite inasmuch as they take Providence from the Divine, and claim it to themselves. AC 8478.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.

Chapter VI.

verse 6. Enter into your closet.-The original word, here rendered closet, is tamieion, which signifies properly a treasure-house,or a house of dainties, and thus is remarkably figurative of the interiors of the mind, where the true spiritual treasures are stored up, and into which man must enter before he can offer up a true and acceptable prayer to the father OF HIS BEING.

When you have shut the door, &c.-The door here spoken of must needs be understood in a figurative sense, otherwise no sufficient reason can be seen why the shutting the door should be insisted upon in performing the duty of prayer: but when it is seen that the precept has relation to the door of the mind, a very important law of prayer may then be deduced from it, namely, that this door, in the act of prayer, ought always to be kept closed against those influences which are contrary to prayer] Indeed, the law is so necessary, that it is not possible to conceive how any true and effectual prayer can be made, until the door be so shut. For all prayer is properly an opening of the mind to communication with heavenly influences, thus with heaven; which communication, it is plain, cannot be opened with security, unless the communication with infernal influences, thus with hell, be first closed and kept closed.

Pray to your Father that [is] in what is hidden, &c. - The whole of the expression of this passage is very remarkable, and evidently announces a meaning distinct from what appears on the face of it; for it is first said, your Father that [is] in what is hidden [cV t£> Kpvirrw], and immediately afterwards, your Father that sees in what is hidden: and it is then added, shall reward you in what is manifest [«> r£> <f>ai/ep&]. The internal or spiritual sense, in which the above singular mode of expression originates, appears to be this: the Father in what is hidden, is Good Divine in a hidden or unmanifested state to the person who prays, for the end of prayer is to attain its manifestation: the Father that sees in what is hidden, is Good Divine united with Truth Divine, but yet hidden or unmanifested to the supplicant: shall reward you in what is manifest denotes the blessed effect of prayer in bringing Good Divine and Truth Divine into manifestation to the devout mind.

Verse 18. To your Father that [is] in what is hidden, &c. - See note above at verse 6, where the same words occur. There appears to be a connection, in the spiritual sense, between the three grand duties of alms-giving, prayer, and fasting,prescribed by the Lord in this chapter, although no such connection is perceivable in the letter. The connection is the same as between the good of love, the truth of faith, and the trial or temptation, which is a consequence of their reception; for the duty of alms-giving has respect to the reception and operation of the good of love, and the duty of prayer has respect to the reception and operation of the truth of faith, and the duty of fasting has respect to the spiritual trials or temptations which result from a right love and a right faith.

Verse 19. Where moth and rust does corrupt.- The enlightened reader will here again be enabled to discern another instance of the law of the heavenly marriage of good and truth, even in their opposites, which prevails throughout the Word; for the moth and rust, here spoken of, denote those opposites, one expression having relation to the false principle which destroys truth, and the other to the principle of evil which destroys good.

Verse 25. Be not solicitous, &c. - The original expression, here rendered be not solicitous, is fuepivare, which signifies properly, be not careful, and accordingly it is so rendered, Luke 10:42. It is not, therefore, thought for the future which is here forbidden, but the carefulness or solicitude of thought, as being inconsistent with a state of absolute dependence. upon, and confidence in, the Divine Providence.

For your soul.-In the common version of the New Testament this is rendered for your life; but the original Greek is -n? tf/vKJj, which properly means for the soul.

Verse 83. Seek you first the kingdom of God and His justice.-The intelligent reader will here again note, in the two distinct expressions, the kingdom of God and His justice, another instance of our Lord's ordinary mode of speaking in reference to the heavenly marriage of truth and good: the kingdom of God having respect to truth, and His justice to good.

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