meaning, and that it cannot be literally understood. The fame may be faid concerning the chapter before us, for it is faid, "In that day fhall feven women "take hold of one man, faying, We will eat our " own bread, and wear our own apparel, only let "us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach." Now, according to the bare letter, what has all this to do with religion? Or how could feven women, by cleaving to one man, take away their reproach? Would they not, by fo doing, rather expose themselves to reproach? It must be evident they would. Is it not plain, then, that if the bible is the word of the living God, it must have an internal meaning, a fpiritual fenfe, included in the literal? And can we understand the word, unless we are acquainted with that sense? Is it not neceffary that we have some certain rule and guide to go by, that we may know it? For if we only conjecture, and guess what it is, we may be mistaken, very widely err-be at no certainty. But when the Science of correfpondences, in which the word is written, is known -and the mind is under illumination from the Lord; then the interior fpiritual meaning of divine truth may be understood-its beauty and excellence difcovered-and the word of God will appear AS HIS WORD-divine, celeftial, and heavenly, in every word and letter.

I have obferved, that the beginning of this chapter speaks of a new church, which should be established after the defolation and end of the former;

and

and it is thus defcribed" In that day feven women " shall take hold of one man." By the number feven is always, in the word, meant what is holy-by woman is fignified the church-and by women (as here) the affections-by one man, is meant divine truth in its complex. The meaning, therefore, is, that the good and holy affections of the will, fhould be united with divine truth in the understanding, and the members of the church fhall fay, we will eat our own bread; that is, we will appropriate the love and goodness of the Lord, which is the true and living bread, for our fouls-we will wear our own apparel; that is, we will appear in the garments of righteousness, humility, and charity-only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach: that is, let us not be under the influence of error and falfhood, but principled in heavenly wisdom and genuine truth, as the people of the Lord. "In that day fhall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth fhall be excellent " and comely, for them that are escaped of Ifrael;" viz. the branch, or church, engrafted into the Lord, the true vine, shall be principled in goodness and truth-in charity and faith-and all the fruits, the external life, conduct, and walk, shall be becoming, boly, and heavenly, with all thofe true Ifraelites who had escaped the general defolation of the former vafted and fallen church. And then (as in the words first read)" he that is left in Zion, and he that re"maineth in Jerufalem, fhall be called holy; even

"every one that is written among the living in Jerufalem. When the Lord fhall have washed

away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall "have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the "midst thereof, by the fpirit of judgment, and by "the spirit of burning."

In fpeaking from these words we will,

First, Confider what the Lord will do for his church, and all the true members of it.

Secondly, By what means he will do it.

Thirdly, Explain who are meant by thofe left in Zion, and remaining in Jerufalem. And,

Fourthly, Notice their quality and character.

And as I wish, in this discourse, to treat of things that refpect our interior states, and which are of effential importance; fo I hope you will give your ferious attention, and endeavor to profit by the observations which may be made. For we fhall do well to confider that religion, heaven, and happiness, are internal things; they refpect the mind, and must have their refidence and existence there.

First, then, we will confider what the Lord will do for his true church and every real member of it. This is fignified by washing away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purging the blood of Jerufalem from the midft thereof.

First, It may be neceffary to explain the terms, and then enlarge upon the work itself. By Zion, is fignified

fignified the celeftial principle of love and charityby daughters of Zion, all the good affections of the will-by filth, all kinds of evil-by washing it away, is fignified the removal thereof, and the purification of the will-by Jerufalem, is fignified the fpiritual principle in man, and which relates to the underftanding-by blood, the falfification of divine truth, and all falfhood and error-by purging, is meant the cleansing of the understanding therefrom-and by the midft, is fignified the inmost of the mind. There are in every man a natural, a spiritual, and a celeftial degree, or principle; without which he could not become regenerate, fpiritual, and heavenly. But as man has turned, or averted himself from the Lord; fo he has turned or averted those principles -his natural degree is become fenfual-his fpiritual, earthly, or worldly—and his celeftial, evil and infernal. Hence it is, that except we be changed, born again, or regenerated, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. As, therefore, a man examines himself by the word of the Lord, and comes into a state of penitence and faith, he fees that he is in himself nothing but mere evil, falfhood, and ignorance. His will is under the influence of self-love, love of the world, and dominion-subject to every abominable luft, evil propenfity, and fenfual defire his understanding in darkness and error-and his whole life depraved and finful. But as a confcioufnefs of his ftate excites in him a defire to be delivered from it, and as he wishes to depart from what is evil, in ex

ternal

ternal life-fo he willingly gives up his mind to the Lord who washes him from his filth, or cleanseth him from evils in the internal man; influencing his will, purifying his affections, illuminating his understanding, and regenerating his whole mind. For although man cannot cleanse and regenerate himself, yet he can return to the Lord, by repentance and faith he can depart from his evil ways-co-operate with the merciful defigns of the Lord-and thus prepare himself for the Lord to enter by his divine influx, and regenerate his internal. This power is given to man by the Lord, and he may make use of it to that end. But we will,

Secondly, Confider by what means the Lord effecteth this work. It is faid, our Lord will do this,

by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burn"ing." By the fpirit of judgment is meant, the spirit of divine truth. For truth is light-it is truth that discovers to us our evils and falfes-it is truth that

judges. Hence our Lord fays, "the word that I "have spoken, that shall judge you in the last day." Therefore it is called the fpirit of judgment. As man, therefore, turns himself to the Lord by meditation, repentance, prayer, and the like, he opens his understanding to the influx of divine wisdom, by which he is illuminated-fees and knows the truth-is convinced of his own ignorance, errors, and falfes-is confcious how he has falfified and perverted the word, to juftify his own evils; he gives up his mind to the light of divine truth, and his understanding