were

who was to arise, as the head of the Holy Family, the great. Prophet, the true Priest, the everlasting King. The Israelitish polity, and the law of Moses were purposely framed after the example and shadow of things spiritual and heavenly; and the events which happened to the ancient people of God, designed to shadow out parallel occurrences, which should afterwards take place, in the accomplishment of man's redemption, and the rise and progress of the Christian Church. For this reason, the Psalms composed for the use of Israel, and Israel's monarch, and by them accordingly used at the time, do admit of an application to us, who are now the Israel of God,' and to our Redeemer who is the King of this Israel.

"Nor will this seem strange to us, if we reflect, that the same divine person, who inspired the Psalms, did also foreknow and predispose all the events of which he intended them to treat. And hence it is evident, that the spiritual sense is and must be peculiar to the Scriptures; because of those persons and transactions only, which are there mentioned and recorded, can it be affirmed for certain, that they were designed to be figurative. And should any one attempt to apply the narrative of Alexander's expedition by Quintus Curtius, or the Commentaries, of Cæsar, as the New Testament writers have done, and taught us to do the histories of the Old, he would find himself unable to proceed three steps with consistency and propriety. The argument, therefore, which would infer the absurdity of sup posing the Scriptures to have a spiritual sense, from the acknowledged absurdity of supposing histories or poems merely human to have it, is inconclusive: the sacred writings differing in this respect, from all other writings in the world, as much as the nature of the transactions which they relate, differs from all other transactions, and the author who relates them differs from all other authors."

"In allegories framed by man, the ground-work is generally fiction, because of the difficulty of finding one true series of facts, which shall exactly represent another. But the great Disposer of events, 'known unto whom are all his works,' from the beginning to the end of time, was able to effect this: and the Scripture allegories are therefore equally true in the letter and in the spirit of them. The events signifying, no less than those signified, really happened, as they are said to have done. Why the alle

gories of this most perfect form, with which the book of God abounds, and which are all pregnant with truths of the highest import, should be treated with neglect and contempt, while the imperfect allegories of man's devising are universally sought after and admired, as the most pleasing and efficacious method of con. veying instruction, is not easy to say. Why should it not afford a believer as much delight to contemplate the lineaments of his Saviour, pourtrayed in one of the patriarchs, as to be informed, that the character of Iapis was designed by Virgil to adumbrate that of Antonius Musa, physician to Augustus? Or why should not a discourse upon the Redemption of the church, as foreshadowed by the Exodus of Israel, have as many admirers among Christians, as a dissertation, however ingeniously composed, on the descent of Æneas to the infernal regions, considered as typical of an initiation into the Eleusinian mysteries?"

"The Author having, for many years, accustomed himself to consider and apply the Psalms, while he recited them, according to the method now laid down, has never failed to experience the unspeakable benefit of it, both in public and in private; and would wish, if it so pleased God, that death might find him employed in meditations of this kind. He has likewise frequently taken occasion, in the course of his ministry, to explain a Psalm upon the same plan, from the pulpit; and whenever he has done so, whether the audience were learned or unlearned, polite or rustic, he has generally had the happiness to find the discourse, in an especial manner, noticed and remembered."

BRIEF VIEW OF THE SPIRITUAL OR INTERNAL SENSE OF 2 KINGS, chap. v.

CONTENTS.

CONCERNING those who are in the knowledges of truth and good from the literal sense of the Word, and who through evils of life, grounded in false worship, falsify those knowledges, ver. 1 to 19. Also concerning those who are in the knowledges of truth and good from the internal sense of the Word, and who yet through evils of life grounded in the loves of self and the world, falsify and profane those knowledges, v. 20 to 27.

PARTICULAR EXPLANATION.

By Elisha the Prophet who was in Samaria is represented and signified the Lord as to Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Human in the spiritual church, or in the spiritual sense of the Word.

By Naaman the leper from Syria is represented and signified those in the church who acknowledge the truths of the Word in its literal sense, but know not the Lord, and who through ignorance, falsify those truths by evils of life. These are of the external church, and to these the leprosy adheres externally, and from them it can be removed by what is signified by washing in Jordan.

By Gehazi the boy [or lad] of Elisha [puer Elisha] is represented and signified those in the church who acknowledge the interior truths of the Word and thereby know the Lord, but who nevertheless by evils of life grounded in the loves of self and the world, falsify those truths and thence profane them. These belong to the internal spiritual church. To these the leprosy, or falsification of truth, adheres internally, and from them it cannot be removed, because they will not wash in Jordan, and hence it is said, that it cleaves to Gehazi and his seed for ever.

INTERNAL SENSE

Or an Explanation in series.

REFERENCES. See Apoc. Expl. n. 475, and to the Indexes; especially the Index to the Apoc. Expl. [in MS.] For the corrections in the translation of this chapter, see Latin version of Sebastian Schmidt.

Ver. 1. Now Naaman prince of the army of the king of Syria -Primary knowledges of truth and good from the literal sense of the Word, or, concerning those who are in primary knowledges of truth and good from the literal sense of the Wordwas a great man before his lord and honourable in his faces-that such receive influx from the divine good, and thence interior illustration in the Word-because by him Jehovah had given salvation to Syria-whereby the external spiritual church, or, the rational natural principle of the Church, is rescued from evilshe was also a mighty man in valour-and power given from good to resist evils and falses-but he was a leper-nevertheless, from evils of life there is falsification of truth. 4 B

No. VII.-VOL. I.

Ver. 2. And the Syrians had gone out by companies [or troops] -knowledges collected from the literal sense of the Word, in order that somewhat of interior affection may be acquired-and had brought away out of the land of Israel a little maid—hence adequate affection of spiritual truth is given from the Lord-and she was in the presence of Naaman's wife—that this affection of spiritual truth is subservient to the affection of natural truth.

Ver. 3. And she said to her mistress-Influx and perception thence in natural affection-I wish that my lord were before the Prophet who is in Samaria-that from the affection of spiritual truth the Lord as divine truth ought to be approached and acknowledged for he would recover him of his leprosy-in order that the falsification of divine truth may be removed.

Ver. 4. And one went in and told his lord, saying-Influx from the spiritual principle into the rational, and thence illustration-Thus and thus said the maid, that is from the land of Israel —that this influx from the spiritual principle is made manifest.

Ver. 5. And the king of Syria said—a dictate from the rational in the natural-Go to, come, I will send a letter to the king of Israel -and urgency to make manifest to the spiritual principle—And he went-reciprocal progression of the natural mind towards the spiritual—and took with him in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand of gold, and ten changes of raiment-together with its acquisitions to the full of interior truths and of corresponding goods, and also of external truths, derived from the Word.

Ver. 6. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying— application, at first, to spiritual truth separate from affection, for liberation from falsification-Now when this letter is come unto thee-conclusion as to the effect-behold, I have sent unto thee Naaman my servant, that thou mayst recover him of his leprosythat [it is supposed] there is power in spiritual truth alone to elevate and restore the natural principle from the evils of the false or from the profanation of truth.

Ver. 7. And it came to pass-successivity of state-when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said

that the state of the falsification of truth being perceived, there is mourning over truths lost and destroyed-Am I God to kill and to make alive-that spiritual truth without good or affection can neither destroy nor restore the natural principle-that this [man] doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy-that this ap

plication, to spiritual truth alone, is how he seeketh a quarrel against me from the spiritual principle.

contrary to order—and see and will cause separation

Ver. 8. And it was so-Further influx and inversion of statewhen Elisha the man of God, had heard that the King of Israel had rent his clothes-perception given from the Divine Truth of the Divine Human of the Lord, that there is mourning over truths lost and destroyed-he sent to the king, saying-that the spiritual principle is illustrated and taught and given to perceive-Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes-and also to reflect upon the cause of its lamentation, and the necessity of divine aid-let him come now to me that Divine Truth ought to be approached and acknowledged from the will-and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel-whence the understanding will be illustrated to perceive and apply Divine Truth appertaining to the church, or truths of doctrine from the Word, to the restoration of the natural principle.

Ver. 9. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot -that the natural principle approached both as to will and understanding, together with truths of doctrine acquired from the Word and stood at the door of the house of Elisha--and became confirmed by means of introductory truths from the Word, in the acknowledgment of the Divine Good of the Divine Human of the Lord.

Ver. 10. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying-Influx from the Divine Truth of the Divine Good, and thence perception in the natural-Go and wash seven times in Jordan-that plenary purification from evils and falses of the natural principle, and thence reformation and regeneration, are effected by the Lord through introductory knowledges of truth and good from the Word--and thy flesh shall come again unto thee-and thereby restoration to spiritual life-and thou shalt be clean-and truths will proceed from good.

Ver. 11. But Naaman was wroth-resistance of the natural principle while in falses from evil—and went away-departure from the Lord and aversion from the spiritual principle—and said -conclusion from the false of evil in this state of aversion-Behold, I thought, he will surely come out to me that the Lord can be acknowledged in truth without good and without reformation of life—and stand and call upon the name of Jehovah his God-and

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