were in it as could not yet be received: the reason may be seen in the following article. But I will show what was in the little book. It contained those things, for instance, which are to be found in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord, from beginning to end, which are as follows: That the whole Sacred Scripture relates to the Lord, and that the Lord is the Word, n. 1-7. That by the Lord's fulfilling all things of the law, is meant, that he fulfilled all things of the Word, n. 8-11. That the Lord came into the world to subdue the hells and glorify his Humanity, and that the passion of the cross was the last combat, by which he fully conquered the hells, and fully glorified his Humanity, n. 12, 13, 14. That the Lord, by the passion of the cross, did not take away sins, but that he bore them, n. 15, 16, 17. That the imputation of the Lord's merit is nothing else but the remission of sins after repentance, n. 18. That the Lord, as to his Divine Humanity, is called the Son of God, and, as to the Word, he is called the Son of Man, n. 19-28. That the Lord made his Humanity Divine from the Divinity in himself; and that thus he became one with the Father, n. 29-36. That the Lord is God himself, from whom the Word is derived, and concerning whom it treats, n. 37-44. That there is one God, and that the Lord is that God, n. 45. That the Holy Spirit is the Divinity proceeding from the Lord, and that it is the Lord himself, n. 46-54. That the doctrine of the Athanasian faith agrees with the truth, if only by a trinity of persons is understood a trinity of person, which is in the Lord, n. 55-61.

The reason why it is said that seven thunders uttered their voices, is, because what the Lord speaks, as it descends through the heavens into the lower spheres, is heard as thunder; and as he speaks through the whole heaven at once, and thus fully, they are called seven thunders, for by seven are signified all, all things, and the whole, n. 10, 391; therefore also by thunder is signified instruction and the perception of truth, n. 236; in this instance, the revealing and manifestation thereof likewise. That a voice from heaven is heard as thunder, when it

proceeds from the Lord, is evident from these passages : Jesus said, "Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again;" the multitude heard this as thunder, John xii. 28, 29, 30. God roareth with his voice, "he thundereth with a voice of his excellency," Job xxxvii. 4, 5. "Jehovah thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice," 2 Sam. xxii. 14. "I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of great thunder," Apoc. xiv. 2. Thou didst call upon me, "and I answered thee in the secret place of thunder," Psalm lxxxi. 7.

473. "And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not," signifies, that these things indeed are made manifest, but that they will not be received till after they who are meant by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, are cast out of the world of spirits, because there would be danger were they to be received before. The voices which the seven thunders uttered, are the things just mentioned above, n. 472, which are three times mentioned, because they contain the very essentials of the New Church. By writing, in the natural sense, is signified to commit to paper, and thus to record any thing for the information of posterity, but, in the spiritual sense, by writing is signified to commit to the heart for reception; hence by sealing them up and not writing them, is signified that they will not be committed to the heart and received, till after the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, are cast out of the world of spirits, because there would be danger if they were received before the reason is, because by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, are signified they who are in faith separated from charity, and these constantly and tenaciously adhere to their belief, that God the Father is to be approached, and not the Lord immediately, and that the Lord is not the God of heaven and earth as to his Humanity; therefore if the above-mentioned doctrine, n. 472, which has been and still is made manifest, as is

signified by the little book being open, were to be received by any others than such as are in charity and its faith, who also are those who are signified by John, n. 5, 17, before the dragon is cast out, it would be rejected not only by them, but, through their means, by the rest; and if not rejected, still it would be falsified, yea, profaned. That this is the case, evidently appears from what now follows in the Apocalypse, when seen in its proper series, as, that they slew the Lord's two witnesses, chap. xi.; that the dragon stood by the woman who was about to be delivered that he might devour her child; and that after he had fought with Michael he persecuted the woman, chap. xii.; and that the two beasts which came up, one out of the sea, and the other out of the earth, acted in conjunction with him, chap. xiii. ; as also that he gathered together his followers to battle at the place called Armageddon, chap. xvi. ; and, finally, that they assembled the nations, Gog and Magog, to battle, chap. xx. 8, 9. But that the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, chap. xx. 10; and this being effected, the New Church, which is to be the Lamb's wife, came down out of heaven, chap. xxi. xxii. Such is the signification of these words, "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not; " and also of the following in this chapter: "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God will be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets," verse 7; and by these words in the next chapter: "And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ," verse 15; and likewise by many things to the same effect in the subsequent chapters. Something may be seen on this subject in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord, n. 61.

474. "And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever," signifies, the attestation and testification of the Lord by himself. By the angel who stood upon the sea and

upon the earth, is understood the Lord, n. 470; by lifting his hand up to heaven, is signified this attestation, that there should be time no longer, verse 6; by swearing is signified this testification, that in the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God should be consummated, verse 7; by him that liveth for ever and ever, is meant the Lord himself, as above, chap. i. 18, iv. 9, 10, v. 14, Dan. iv. 31. That the Lord testifies by himself, will be seen presently. From what has been said, it is evident that by these words, "and the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever," is signified the attestation and testification of the Lord by himself. That Jehovah swears, or testifies, by himself, is evident from these passages: "I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth-and shall not return," Isaiah xlv. 23. "I have sworn by myself, that this house shall become a desolation," Jerem. xxii. 5. "Jehovah hath sworn by his soul," Jerem. li. 14, Amos vi. 8. "Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness," Amos iv. 2. "Jehovah hath

sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength,' Isaiah lxii. 8. "Behold, I have sworn by my great name," Jerem. xliv. 26. Jehovah, that is the Lord, swearing by himself, signifies that divine truth testifies, for he is divine truth itself, and this testifies from itself and by itself. Besides which, that Jehovah swears may also be seen in Isaiah xiv. 24, liv. 9, Psalm lxxxix. 3, 35, Psalm xcv. 11, Psalm cx. 4, Psalm cxxxii. 11. Jehovah is said to swear, because the church instituted among the sons of Israel was a representative church, and the Lord's conjunction with the church was thence represented by a covenant, such as takes place between two who swear to their compact; therefore, as swearing was used for the purpose of ratifying a covenant or compact, it is said that Jehovah sware; by which, nevertheless, it is not meant that he really did swear, but that divine truth testifies or bears testimony to the things asserted. That an oath was used to ratify covenants, appears from these passages: "I have sworn unto thee, and entered into a covenant, and

"To remember his

thou becamest mine," Ezek. xvi. 8. holy covenant, the oath which he sware," Luke i. 72, 73, Psalm ev. 9, Jerem. xi. 5, xxxii. 22, Deut. i. 35, x. 11, xi. 9, 21, xxvi. 3, 15, xxxi. 20, xxxiv. 4. As a covenant was representative of the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and, reciprocally, of the church with the Lord; and as the oath had relation to the covenant, and man was to swear from the truth therein, thus also by it, therefore the children of Israel were permitted to swear by Jehovah, and thus by divine truth, Exod. xx. 7, Levit. xix. 12, Deut. vi. 13, x. 20, Isaiah xlviii. 1, lxv. 16, Jerem. iv. 2, Zech. v. 4; but after the representative rites of the church were abolished, oaths, as used in covenants, were abolished also by the Lord, Matt. v. 33—37, xxiii. 16-22.

475. "Who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things that are therein," signifies, who vivifies all that are in heaven and that are in the church, and all and every thing in general and in particular appertaining to them. By creating, in the natural sense, is signified to create; but, in the spiritual sense, by creating is signified to reform and regenerate, n. 254, 290; which is also to vivify or make alive. By heaven, is meant heaven where are the angels; by the earth and the sea, is signified the church; by the earth they who are in its internals; and by the sea, they who are in its externals, n. 398, 470. By the things that are therein, are signified all and singular the things appertaining to them.

476. "That there should be time no longer," signifies, that there cannot be any state of the church, or any church, except one God be acknowledged, and that the Lord is that God. By time is signified state; and, because the church is here treated of, the state of the church is signified. Therefore there shall be time no longer, signifies that there will not be any state of the church. That it also means, that there is not any church, except one God be acknowledged, and that the Lord is he, follows as a consequence. But what is the case at this day? That there is one God is not denied, but that the Lord is