world, thus to favour the lusts thence issuing: These things are signified by the division of the Lord's garments; for whatsoever the Jews did to the Lord represented the state of divine truth and good at that time amongst them, thus that they treated truths divine in like manner as himself; for the Lord, when He was in the world, was divine truth itself. A. Ç. 9942.

Verse 25, 26, 27. But there stood by the cross of Jesus, His Mother, and Jesus seeing his Mother and the disciple standing whom He loved, He saith to His Mother, Woman, behold thy Son, and to the disciple, behold thy Mother &c. By these words is understood, that the Lord did not acknowledge Mary for His Mother, but the Church, wherefore He calls her Woman, and the Mother of the disciple; the reason why He called her the Mother of this disciple, or of John, was, because he represented the Church as to the good things of charity, which things are the Church in effect itself, therefore it is said that he took her to his own. C. L. 119.

From the above words it is evident that the Lord spoke to His Mother, according to what she thought when she saw Him on the cross, nevertheless. He doth not call her Mother, but Woman, and that He transfers the name of Mother to those who are signified by the disciple, wherefore He said to the disciple, behold thy Mother. A. C. 2649.

That the good of charity makes the Church, is also signified by the above words of the Lord to John, Jesus saw His Mother and the disciple whom He loved standing near, and He said to His Mother, Woman behold thy Son; and He said to that disciple, behold thy Mother; and from that hour that disciple took her to Himself; for by John is meant the good of charity, and by Woman and Mother the Church; and by all the above words, that the Church will be where the good of charity is. Heav. Doc. 122. See also Ap. Ex. 821.

Verses 28, 29, 30. After this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be accomplished, saith I thirst. Then there was set a vessel full of vinegar, &c. &c. All and singular the things, which are related in the evangelists concerning the Lord's passion, in the spiritual sense signify a state of the Church at that time in respect to the Lord and to the Word; for the Lord was the Word because Divine truth, and the Jews, as they treated the Word, or divine truth, so they treated the Lord, on which subject see above, n. 64, 195; their giving the Lord vinegar mixed with gall, which is also called wine mingled with myrrh, signified what the quality of divine truth from the Word was with the Jewish nation, viz. that it was commixed with the false of evil, and thus altogether

falsified and adulterated, wherefore He was not willing to drink it; but their giving Him afterwards vinegar in a sponge, and encompassing it with hyssop, signified the false principle, such as it was amongst the well-disposed Gentiles, which was grounded in ignorance of truth, containing in it what is good and useful, and since this false principle is accepted of the Lord, therefore He drank it; by the hyssop, which they placed around it is signified its purification; the Lord saying, I thirst, signifies divine spiritual thirst, which is of divine good and truth in the Church, by which is effected the salvation of the human race. Ap. Ex. 519.

Verse 34. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. The plenary rejection of divine truth which is from the Lord, and which was the Lord, is understood by these words in Matthew, Pilate washed his hands before the people, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just one, ye will see; and all the people replied, His blood be on us and on our children, xxvii. 24, 25; on which account this is thus described in John, One of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and immediately there came out blood and water; the reason why water came forth, is, because by water is signified external truth divine, such as is the Word in the letter. A. C. 9127.

Blood and water in the above passage denote divine truth, spiritual and natural, thus the Word in the spiritual and natural sense, and to pierce the Lord's side is to destroy both by falses, as was also done by the Jews; for all things of the Lord's passion represented the state of the Jewish church as to the Word, on which subject see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord, n. 15 to 17. The reason why by piercing Him is signified to destroy the Word by falses, is, because this is said of Jesus Christ, who is presently called the Son of Man, and by the Son of Man is meant the Lord as to the Word, wherefore to pierce the Son of Man is to pierce the Word. Ap. Rev. 26.

The above things were done that they might signify the conjunction of the Lord with the human race by the divine truth proceeding from the divine good of His love; for breast signifies divine love; blood and water signify the proceeding divine truth, blood the divine truth which is for the spiritual man, and water the divine truth which is for the natural man; for all things, which are related in the Word concerning the Lord's passion, are also significative, see n. 83, 195; and whereas the above things signify His love, and the salvation of man by the divine truth proceeding from Him, therefore also the evange

list saith, He that saw beareth witness, and his witness is true, and he knoweth that he sayeth what is true, that ye may believe. Ap. Ex. 329.

Verse 35. And he that saw bare witness, &c. Inasmuch as by heart is signified the good of love, and this alone is what acknowledges divine truth, and the divine [Principle] of the Lord in His human, and this good is signified by John, therefore also John saith that he beareth witness to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, Rev. i. 2; and in another place, He that saw bare witness, and his witness is true, and he knoweth that he sayeth what is true, that ye might believe. Ap. Ex. 10.

Verse 39. Bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes. By myrrh is signified truth most external, which is sensual truth, and it's perception, on which account the bodies of the dead were formerly anointed with myrrh and aloes, by which anointing was signified the preservation of all goods and truths with man, and likewise resurrection; wherefore also such a substance was applied as signified the ultimate principle of life with man, which ultimate principle is called sensual life: That such things were used in anointing the body of the Lord, and that together with them it was wrapped up in linen, and that this custom prevailed amongst the Jews, see John, chap. xix. 39, 40; but it is to be noted, that those things, which were spoken of the Lord himself in the world, are to be understood in a super-eminent sense, wherefore the things mentioned in the above passage signify His divine life in the sensual principle, which is the life proper to the body, and likewise the resurrection of the body. A. C. 10252.

VERSE 5. Then came Jesus forth, bearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe, and saith unto them, Behold the Man! In the common version of the New Testament, these words are supposed to be spoken by Pilate, whose name is therefore inserted in italics, as if he was the speaker on the occasion; but in the original Greek no mention is made of Pilate,

and the words are manifestly the words of JESUS. See Extract on this verse.

Verse 12. From this Pilate sought to release Him. What is here rendered from this, is rendered from henceforth in the common version of the New Testament, but the expression in the original Greek is EK TOUTOU, which is literally from this, relating probably, not to any period of time, but to what the blessed JESUS had said in the preceding verse.

Verse 23. But the coat was without seam, wrought from the top throughout. What is here rendered from the top, is ex pressed in the original Greek by the words é rar äveder, which is literally of things from above.