he exercises charity and its works, is renewed, regenerated, and sanctified; and also that faith could not exist solitary, or without good works, any more than a good tree without fruit, or the sun without light, or the fire without heat; I also blamed those who asserted that good works were unnecessary, and that the commandments of the decalogue need not be observed; I also laid great stress on repentance, and thus in a wonderful manner, applied all things in the Word to this single article of faith, which I discovered and demonstrated to be the only medium of salvation." Confident in the truth of his own assertion, that he had never falsified the Word, he approached the table, and in spite of the angel's caution, touched the Word; when suddenly there issued fire and smoke from the Word, attended with a loud explosion, which cast him into a corner of the room, where he lay for the space of an hour, as if he were dead. The angelic spirits wondered at this, but they were informed, that this prelate had been more strenuous than others in. exalting the good fruits of charity as proceeding from faith, but that, nevertheless, he meant no other than political works, which are also called moral and civil, and are performed for the sake of the world and prosperity therein, and not out of obedience to God and for the sake of salvation; and also that he had some idea of imperceptible works by the Holy Spirit, of which a man is not conscious, which are engendered in the act of faith during the state thereof.

The angelic spirits had then some conversation with each other about the falsification of the Word, and they agreed in this, that to falsify the Word is to take truths out of it, and apply them to confirm what is false, which is to extract truths from the Word and to destroy them; as, for example, to take this truth, that a man ought to love his neighbor, and from love do good to him for the sake of God and life eternal, and then to insist that it ought to be done, but not for the sake of salvation, because every good that comes from man is not good; this is to extract truth from the Word, and when it is so extracted, to destroy it; because the Lord in his Word

enjoins every man, who would be saved, to do good to his neighbor as from himself; and yet to believe that he does it from the Lord.

CHAPTER XIII.

1. AND I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his strength, and his throne, and great power..

3. Aud I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed; and all the world wondered after the beast.

4. And they worshiped the dragon, which gave power unto the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to fight with him?

5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty-two months.

6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over every tribe, and tongue, and nation.

8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.

9. If any man have an ear let him hear.

10. He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth: and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

13. And he doeth great signs, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.

14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those signs, which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and lived.

15. And he had power to give breath unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

16. And he caused all, both small and great, and rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.

17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE.

THE CONTENTS OF THE WHOLE CHAPter. In this chapter the dragon continues to be treated of, and the doctrine and faith signified by him, is described; what its quality is among the laity, and afterwards what its quality is among the clergy; by the beast which came up out of the sea, that doctrine and faith is described, as it exists with the laity, verse 1-10; and by the beast out of the earth, the same among the clergy, verse 11-17: lastly, concerning the falsification of the Word by the latter, verse 18.

THE CONTENTS OF EACH VERSE. "And I saw a beast rise up out of the sea," signifies, the laity in the churches of the Reformed, who are principled in the doctrine and faith of the dragon concerning God and salvation: "Having seven heads," signifies, insanity arising from mere falses: "And ten horns," signifies, much power: "And upon his horns ten diadems," signifies, the power of falsifying many truths of the Word: and upon his heads the name of blasphemy," signifies, denial of the Lord's Divine Humanity, and doctrine of the church not drawn from the Word, but from self-derived intelligence: "And the beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard," signifies, a heresy destructive of the church, because derived from truths of the Word falsified: "And his feet were as the feet of a bear," signifies, full of fallacies. from the literal sense of the Word read but not understood: "And his mouth as the mouth of a lion," signifies, reasonings from falses as from truths: "And the dragon gave him his strength, and his throne, and great power,” signifies, that this heresy prevails and reigns in consequence of its reception by the laity: "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death," signifies, that the doctrine of faith alone does not accord with the Word, in which works are so often enjoined: "And his deadly wound was healed,” signifies, the remedy applied on this account: "And all the world wondered after the beast," signifies, that then this doctrine and faith was gladly received: "And they worshiped the dragon which

gave power unto the beast," signifies, an acknowledgment that it is such as is laid down by the leaders and teachers, who have established its authority on the reception they have procured for it among the community at large: "And they worshiped the beast," signifies, an acknowledgment on the part of the community, that it is holy truth: "Saying, who is like unto the beast, who is able to fight with him," signifies, the excellence of that doctrine, because it cannot be contradicted by any one: "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies," signifies, that it teaches what is evil and false: "And power was given unto him to continue forty-two months," signifies, the liberty of teaching and doing the evils and falses of that doctrine, even to the end of that church and the beginning of the new: "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name," signifies, their sayings, which are scandals against the Essential Divinity and Divine Humanity of the Lord, and at the same time against every thing relating to the church derived from the Word, whereby the Lord is worshiped: "And his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven," signifies, scandals against the Lord's celestial kingdom and against heaven: "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them," signifies, that they have impugned the divine truths of the Word and cast them down to the ground: "And power was given him over every tribe, and tongue, and nation," signifies, consequent dominion over all things of the church, both as to its doctrine and as to its life: "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb," signifies, that all acknowledged that heretical doctrine as holy in the church, except those who believed in the Lord: "Slain from the foundation of the world," signifies, the Lord's Divine Humanity not acknowledged from the first establishment of the church: "If any man have an ear let him hear," signifies, that they should attend to this, who desire to attain wisdom: "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity," signifies, that he who by means of this heretical doctrine misleads others from believing well and living well, will himself be drawn into hell by his own evils and falses: "He that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword," signifies, that he who by means of falses destroys the soul of another, is himself destroyed by falses, and perishes: "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints," signifies, that the man of the Lord's new church, by temptations from such things, is explored as to the quality of his life and faith: "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth," signifies, the clergy who are principled in the doctrine and faith of the dragon concerning God and salvation: "And he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon," signifies, that what they say, teach, and write is from the Word, as though it were the Lord's divine truth, and yet it is truth falsified: "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him," signifies, that they confirmed these tenets, which thence derive their authority: "And causeth the

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earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed," signifies, that from their being received by the community at large, it is established and confirmed that they ought to be acknowledged and held sacred in the church: "And he doeth great signs," signifies, testifications that the things they teach are true, although they are false: "So that he maketh fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men," signifies, attestations that their falsities are truths: "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those signs, which he had power to do in the sight of the beast," signifies, that by their testifications and attestations they lead the men of the church into errors: "Saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and lived," signifies, that they induce the men of the church to receive for doctrine, that faith is the only medium of salvation, for the reasons already mentioned: "And he had power to give breath unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak," signifies, that it was permitted them to confirm that doctrine by means of the Word, whereby it does as it were receive life when it is taught: "And cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed," signifies, that they denounce damnation against those who do not acknowledge their doctrine of faith to be the holy doctrine of the church: "And he caused all, both small and great, and rich and poor, free and bond," signifies, all in that church, whatsoever may be their condition, learning, and intelligence: "To receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads," signifies, that no one is acknowledged to be a reformed Christian unless he receives that doctrine in faith and love: "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or name of the beast, or the number of his name," signifies, that it is not lawful for any one to teach from the Word, unless he acknowledges it, and swears to the belief and love thereof, or to something which amounts to the same: "Here is wisdom," signifies, that it is the part of a wise man, from what had been said and explained in this chapter, to see and understand the nature of the doctrine and faith of the clergy respecting God and salvation : “Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast," signifies, that he who is in illumination from the Lord, may know the nature and quality of the proofs they produce from the Word in confirmation of that doctrine and faith: "For it is the number of a man," signifies, the quality of the Word and thence of the church: "And his number is six hundred and sixty-six," signifies, this quality, that all the truth of the Word is falsified by them.