Verses 6, 7. When He had thus said, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, &c. &c. This was done, because the reformation of man was represented, who is born in ignorance of truth, and to teach that reformation is effected by the good of faith, which is clay. A. C. 6669. By the blind man in this history are represented those who can see nothing of truth, because they are sensual, and who therefore only see those things which appear before the external senses, hence fallacies in the place of truths, to confirm which fallacies they also apply the sense of the letter of the Word; by clay made of spittle is signified sensual truth, such as is intended for persons of this description in the Word; by the wa ters of the lake or fish-pool of Siloam, are signified the truths of the Word, for all things were significative even to the waters in Jerusalem; and by washing is signified to purify from fallacies, which in themselves are falses; hence it may be manifest what the above things signify in a series; for all the miracles and actions of the Lord, when He was in the world, signified divine cœlestial and spiritual things, that is, such things as are of heaven and the church, and this by reason that they were divine, and the divine [principle] always operates in ultimates from first principles, and thus in fulness; ultimates are such things in the world as appear before the eyes; hence it is that the Lord spake, and that the Word was written by such things in nature as correspond. Ap. Ex. 475. Verse 39. And Jesus said, For judgment am I come into this world, that they which see not may see, &c. &c. They that see denotes those that think themselves intelligent above all others, concerning whom it is said, that they shall become blind, that is, will not receive faith; that not to see, or to be blind, is predicated of those who are in false principles, also of those who are in ignorance, see n. 2383. A. C. 3865. To come into the world for judgment denotes to reveal divine truth, which truth makes those to see who relish wisdom from the Lord, and makes those blind who are wise from them. selves, thus who have the reputation of being learned. A. C. 9857. Verses 40, 41. And some of the Pharisees who were with Him, said unto Him, Are we blind also? &c. &c. By blind in this passage are meant those who are blind in two senses, viz. those who are in a false principle, and those who are in ignorance of truth; with those who are within the church, and know what truth is, blindness is falsity; but with those who do not know what truth is, as is the case with those who are out of the church, blindness is ignorance of truth, and they are blameless. A. C. 2383. To see and to understand what is evil, and still to do it, renders man guilty, as the Lord teaches in John, Jesus said to the Pharisees, If ye were blind, ye would not have sin; but now ye say, we see, therefore your sin remaineth. A. C. 9069. See also Prov. 231. Conjugial Love, 348. But they, who do not know any thing concerning the Lord, as is the case with the generality in the two quarters of the globe, Asia and Africa, and likewise in the Indies, if they believe in one God, and live according to the precepts of their religion, by virtue of their faith and life are saved, for imputation is to those who know, and not to those who are ignorant, as it is not imputed as a crime to the blind when they stumble for the Lord saith, If ye were blind, ye would not have sin, but now ye say, we see, therefore your sin remaineth. T. C. R. 107. ; CHAPTER IX. Translator's Notes and Observations. VERSE 3. JESUS answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of GOD might be made manifest in him. From the former part of these words, if separated from connection with the latter, it would appear to be the declaration of Jesus Christ, that neither the blind man, nor his parents, had ever committed sin; whereas if the former part be read in connection with the latter, no such declaration is made: For the sense resulting from such connection is, not that the man and his parents had never sinned, but that they had not so sinned as to be out of the reach of divine mercy and operation; in other words, they had not so sinned, but that the works of GOD might be made manifest. JOHN. CHAPTER X. THE INTERNAL SENSE. THE LORD, in His DIVINE HUMANITY teacheth, that whosoever doth not approach Him in that humanity, by faith and love, destroys in himself the goods of faith by falses, and thus seeks to establish his own merit, v. 1. Whereas all they, who by faith and love approach Him in His humanity, cherish and keep alive in themselves those goods, v. 2. Therefore their interiors are opened to the life of heaven, and they obey the divine precepts, and are gifted with heaven according to the good of love and faith, and are led of the LORD, and not of themselves, v. 3. And in all their operations they have respect to the LORD, and acknowledge the divinity of His humanity, because they obey His precepts, and shun all false principles, as not being in agreement with their love, v. 4, 5. That this teaching is not understood by the men of the perverted church, therefore they are expressly taught 7.Then said JESUS again nto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that I am the door of the sheep. 8. All whosoever that have come before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them. 9. I am the door: By me if any one enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and find pasture. 10. The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they may have life, and may have [it] abundantly. 11. I am the good shepherd: The good shepherd layeth down His soul for the sheep. 12. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and flieth; and the wolf seizeth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13. But the hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14. I am the good shepherd, and know my own, and am known of my own; again, that the only entrance to the life of heaven is through the LORD'S DIVINE HUMANITY, and that all who exalt themselves above that HUMANITY, destroy in themselves the life of heaven, and are opposed to all heavenly good, v. 6, 7, 8. Whereas they, who by faith and love acknowledge the LORD in His DIVINE HUMANITY, are made partakers of His good and truth in every state of life both internal and external, v. 9. For as evil and false principles deprive good and truth of their proper life, so the LORD in His DIVINE HUMA NITY was manifested for the purpose of communicating heavenly life to every good and truth, and this in a greater fulness than had ever been before experienced, v. 10. Therefore the LORD teacheth and leadeth to all truth, whilst by temptation combats, through His own proper power, He unites His divinity to His humanity, v. 11. Whereas they, who seek their own glory in what they do, having no regard to the good of others, fall in temptations, and are deprived of all heavenly good, inasmuch as they look more at recompense than at that good, v. 12, 13. But the LORD in His DIVINE HUMANITY imparts heavenly good, acknowledging all, who receive that good, as His 4 15. As the Father knoweth me, I also know the Father; and I lay down my soul for the sheep. 16. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one flock, one shepherd. i 17. For this doth my Father love me, because I lay down my soul, that I may take it again. 18. No one taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my self; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 19. There was a division therefore again among the Jews, on account of these sayings. 20. But many of them said, He hath a dæmon, and is mad; why hear ye Him? 21. Others said, These are not the sayings of him that hath a dæmon; can a dæmon open the eyes of the blind? 22. But it was at Jerusalem, the feast of dedication, and it was winter. 23. And JESUS walked in the temple, in the porch of Solomon. children, and being reciprocally acknowledged by them as their FATHER, v. 14. In like manner as the divinity acknowledgeth the humanity, and the humanity reciprocally acknowledgeth the divinity, and by enduring temptations uniteth itself with the divinity, v. 15. Thus effecting the salvation of the spiritual, or those who are in the good of faith, and who, through the LORD'S DIVINE HUMANITY will make one with the cœlestial, or those who are in the good of love, v. 16. For by temptations, inmost and plenary union of the divinity with the humanity, and of the humanity with the divinity, was effected until the humanity became divine, v. 17, 18. That these truths effect a work of judgment in the perverted church, by separating those, who reject and blaspheme the LORD's humanity, from those who acknowledge it's divine power manifested in the restoration of the understanding of truth, v. 19, 20, 21. So that some in the church are in the warmth of heavenly affection and life, whilst others are in the warmth of infernal affection and life, and the LORD in His humanity was |