manifest from several passages in the Word of the old Testament; and that it did not cease with the temptation in the wilderness, is manifest from the above words in Luke. 1690.

A. C. Verse 14. In the power of the Spirit.-See Exposition, chap. i. 80.

Verse 15. He taught in their synagogues.-By a synagogue is signified doctrine, because doctrine was taught in the synagogues, and also because differences in doctrinal subjects were there decided.

A. E. 120.

Being glorified of all.-See Exposition, chap. ii. 14, 32; v. 25. Verse 16. On the Sabbath day.-The reason it was so severely forbidden to do any work on the feasts and Sabbaths was, that on such occasions they might be in a full representative state, that is, in such things as represented things celestial and spiritual, which state would have been disturbed if they had done works which respected the world and the earth as an end. But afterwards the same feasts were retained for the sake of heavenly life, on such occasions, and for the sake of doctrine, that at those times they might learn what faith and charity are. A. C. 7893.

The Lord when He was in the world, and united His Human to the Divine Itself, abrogated the Sabbath as to representative worship, or as to the worship which prevailed among the Israelitish people, and made the Sabbath day a day of instruction in the doctrine of faith and love. A. C. 10,360. also A. E. 54.

See

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," is one of those laws which ought to be observed and done. A. C. 9349. Verse 17. Having opened the book.-See Exposition, chap. iii. 4.

Verse 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, wherefore He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor.-The reason why kings were called the anointed of Jehovah, and that on that account it was sacrilegious to hurt them, was, because by the anointed of Jehovah, is meant the Lord as to the Divine Human principle, although as to the sense of the letter the term is applied to the king who was anointed with oil; for the Lord, when He was in the world, was Divine Truth itself as to the Human principle, and was Divine Good itself, as to the very esse of His Life, which esse with man is called the soul derived from the father, for He was conceived of Jehovah, and Jehovah in the Word is the Divine Good of the Divine Love, which is the esse of the life of all; hence it is, that the Lord alone was the anointed of Jehovah in very essence and

in very act, inasmuch as the Divine Good was in Him, and the Divine Truth proceeding from that good in His Human principle when He was in the world. But the kings of the earth were not the anointed of Jehovah, they however, represented the Lord, who alone is the anointed of Jehovah; and therefore it was sacrilegious to hurt the kings of the earth by reason of the anointing; but the anointing of the kings of the earth was effected by oil, whereas the anointing of the Lord was effected by the Divine Good itself of the Divine Love, which the oil represented: hence it is that He was called Messias and Christ, Messias in the Hebrew tongue signifying anointed, in like manner as Christ in the Greek tongue, John i. 41; iv. 25; from these considerations it may be manifest, that where mention is made in the Word of the Anointed of Jehovah, the Lord is meant, as in Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon Me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed Me to evangelize to the poor, He hath sent Me to bind up the broken in heart, to preach liberty to the captives" lxi. I; that the Lord as to the Divine Human principle is He whom Jehovah anointed, is manifest from Luke, where the Lord declares this plainly in these words, "The book of the prophet Esaias was delivered to Jesus; and opening the book, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the bruised in heart, to preach deliverance to the captives, and to the blind recovery of sight, to send away with deliverance them that are wounded, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And having closed the book, He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on Him; and He began to say to them, To-day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" iv. 17 -21. A. C. 9954. See also A. E. 375.

Verse 20. The eyes of all, &c.-See Exposition, chap. ii. 30; vi. 10, 26.

Verse 22. And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of His mouth.-By grace is signified the delight of truth and of good; and to those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, it is given by the Lord to be in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, and this divine principle is what is called grace; hence it is that so far as any one is in that affection, so far he is in the divine grace of the Lord; nor is any other divine grace given, as appertaining to man, spirit, and angel, than to be affected with truth because it is truth, since in that affection they have heaven and blessedness; whether we speak of the affection of

truth, or the delight of truth, it is the same thing, for affection without delight is not given; this is what is specifically meant by grace in the Word, as in John, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt in us, and we saw His glory, as the glory of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth; of His fulness have we all received grace for grace, because the law was given by Moses, grace and truth was made by Jesus Christ," i. 14, 16, 17; inasmuch as grace is the affection and delight of truth, therefore it is said grace and truth. And in Luke, after the Lord had explained, in the synagogue, the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Himself, thus the Divine Truth, "all wondered at the words of grace which came forth from His mouth;" the Divine Truths, which the Lord spake, are called words of grace coming from His mouth, because accepted, grateful, and delightful. In general, divine grace is all that which is given as a gift from the Lord, and whereas all that is given has relation to faith and love, and as faith is the affection of truth, derived from good, therefore that is specifically meant by divine grace; for to be gifted with faith and love, or with the affection of truth derived from good, is to be gifted with heaven, thus with eternal blessedness. A. E. 22. Verse 24. No prophet, &c.-See Exposition, chap. i. 70, 76. Verses 24-26. But He said, Verily I say unto you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country. But in truth I say to you, many widows were in the days of Elias in Israel, &c. &c. -By a widow is signified one who is in good without truth, and still desires truth; the reason why this is signified by a widow is, because by a man [vir] is signified truth, and by his wife good, wherefore the wife of a man when made a widow signifies good without truth. But a widow, in a sense still more interior, signifies truth without good, the reason is, because husband in that sense signifies good, and his wife truth; in this sense the Lord from Divine Good is called Husband and Bridegroom, and His kingdom and church, from the reception of Divine Truth, which proceeds from the Lord, is called wife and bride; but whereas the subject here treated of is not concerning the Lord's celestial church, but the spiritual, by widow is signified one who is in good, and not in truth, and still desires truth; [see what is said concerning the signification of widow and orphan in the celestial sense, A. C. n. 4844,] to which it is allowable to add what the Lord says in Luke concerning the widow of Sarepta, "Verily I say unto you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country; but in truth I say to you, many widows were in the days of Elias, in Israel, when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, so that great

famine was in all the land, and to none of them was Elias sent except to Sarepta of Sidon, to a woman, a widow," iv. 25, 26; inasmuch as all things which the Lord spake were spoken from the Divine principle, therefore they have an internal sense, and in that sense the Lord Himself, His kingdom and church are treated of; what therefore is understood in that sense by what the Lord spake concerning the widow of Sarepta in Sidon, is evident if the words be unfolded: "That no prophet is accepted in his own country," signifies that the Lord, and the Divine Truth which is from Him, is less received and loved in the heart, within the church, than out of it; for He spake to the Jews, with whom at that time the church was instituted; but that the Lord was less received by the Jews, than by the Gentiles out of the church, is a known thing. The case is similar with the church at this day, which from Him is called Christian; in this church indeed the Lord is received in doctrine, but still by few with acknowledgment of the heart, and by still fewer with the affection of love. It is otherwise with the converted Gentiles out of the church, for these worship and adore Him as their only God, and say with the mouth and think with the heart, that they acknowledge Him as God because He appeared in a human form; the case is contrary within the Church, where, because He was born a man, He is with difficulty acknowledged from the heart to be God, inasmuch as His Humanity is made like to that of themselves, although they know that His Father was Jehovah and not a man: from these considerations it is evident what is meant in the internal sense by "no prophet being accepted in his own country." Prophet, in that sense, is the Lord as to Divine Truth, thus as to the doctrine of the church: "Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias," in the internal sense signifies the state at that time of the acknowledgment of Divine Truth from the Word in the church; for widows are those who are in good without truth, as was said above; Elias is the Lord as to the Word; the days of Elias are states of the reception of Divine Truth from the Word at that time, and Israel is the church. When the heaven was shut for three years and six months, signifies the plenary vastation of the internal church; for heaven is the internal of the church; three years and six months denote to the full; the internal of the church is said to be shut, when it is vastated or exists no longer; that three years and six months denote to the full, is manifest from the signification of 1260 days in the Apocalypse, chap. xi. 3, and chap. xii. 6, which days make three years and six months, as denoting to the full, or even

to the end; in like manner from the signification of three days and a half, Rev. xi. 9, 10; also from the signification of a time, times, and half a time, Rev. xii. 14; and in Daniel xii. 7, as denoting to the full, or even to the end. "When there was a great famine over the whole earth," signifies vastation also of the external church, for famine is a defect and desolation of truth and good, and earth denotes the external church. "Yet to none of them was Elias sent," signifies the Lord as to the Word, thus the Word of the Lord, not to others, because not elsewhere received; for Elias, as was said above, is the Lord as to the Word. "Except to Sarepta of Sidon to a woman, a widow," signifies except to those who are in good and desire truth; it is said Sarepta of Sidon, because Sidon signifies the knowledges of good and truth; and that a woman, a widow, denotes one who is in good and desires truth, is hence evident, especially from the things related of her in the 1st Book of the Kings, where are these words, "Elias came to Sarepta of Sidon to a woman, a widow, that she might sustain him; he said to her, Fetch me a little water, that I may drink; and afterwards, Bring me a morsel of bread in thine hand; she said that she had only a little meal in a cask, and a little oil in a cruse, that it would only be a cake for herself and her son; Elias said, Make me a little cake in the first place, and bring it to me, and make for thyself and thy son in the latter place. She did so, and the cask of meal was not consumed, and the cruse of oil did not fail," xvii. 9 -15; obedience and the desire of good to truth, is described by her compliance with the command to give water to the prophet, and afterwards by her making a cake for him in the first place out of her own little store, and in the latter place for herself and her son; and that hence she was enriched with the good of truth, signified by the cask of meal not being consumed, and the cruse of oil not failing; for water, in the internal sense, is truth; meal is truth derived from good; oil is the good of love; and a cake made of them is truth conjoined to its good; from these considerations it is clear, that a widow is one who is in good and desires truth; good and its desire to truth is described by charity towards the prophet greater than towards herself and son; prophet is the doctrine of truth as was shewn above. A. C. 9198. See also n. 4844, and Exposition, chap. ii. 37.

Verse 25. Heaven was shut.-A false internal, or falsified truth, prevents communication with heaven, and closes it up; this is the reason why it is hurtful to confirm any false heretical opinions. S. S. 96.