A. Because He is All in All in His house, which is Heaven and the Church.

Q. What do you mean by JESUS CHRIST being All in All in Heaven and the Church?

A. By JESUS CHRIST being All in All in Heaven and the Church, is meant, that Heaven and the Church, or, what is the same thing, the angels of Heaven and men of the Church, are formed from, and sustained by, His divine love and wisdom, so that there is nothing in Heaven and the Church but what is under the guidance and government of those divine principles, consequently, under the guidance and government of JESUS CHRIST Himself.

Q. But how does it appear that Heaven and the Church can, with any propriety, be called the house of JESUS CHRIST?

A. It appears from this consideration because they are so called in the Sacred Scriptures. For the temple built by Solomon is sometimes called a temple, and sometimes a house; and this is the case, too, with the temple seen in vision by Ezekiel. And since there is every reason to believe that both these temples, or houses, were types or figures of Heaven and the Church, therefore there can be no impropriety in calling Heaven and the Church the Lord's house. More. over, a house means a place to dwell in; and, according to this meaning, Heaven and the Church may fitly be called the house or habitation of JESUS CHRIST, inasmuch as He dwells in angels and men, agreeably to His own words, when He says, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John xiv. 23).

Q. And what do you understand by this Householder planting a vineyard?

A. A vineyard is a place where vines grow; and by a vine is signified spiritual truth, which is the truth of GOD'S MOST HOLY WORD, spiritually understood, according to which sense JESUS CHRIST calls Himself the True Vine. The vineyard, therefore, here spoken of, denotes the reception of such truth by the men of the church; and therefore the men of the church, or the receivers of such truth, are called by the Prophet, the vineyard of the LORD OF HOSTS, where it is written, The vineyard of the LORD OF HOSTS is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant (Is. v. 7); for by the house of Israel and the men of Judah are meant the men of the church.

Q. And what do you understand by hedging this vineyard about? A. As the vineyard here spoken of manifestly denotes a spiritual vineyard, so the hedge by which it is encompassed must denote a spiritual hedge.

Q. And what do you mean by a spiritual hedge?

A. The meaning of a spiritual hedge may be discovered from the use of a natural hedge; which latter, every one knows, is for defence and also to distinguish a garden, a field, and vineyard, from that which is not a garden, a field, and a vineyard. In like manner, a spiritual hedge is for the defence of a spiritual garden, field, or vineyard, and also to distinguish it from that which is not a spiritual garden, field, or vineyard.

Q. And what would you say are those principles of mind and life which constitute this spiritual hedge?

A. They are all those principles of heavenly love and wisdom which leads man to distinguish clearly in his own mind between good and evil, between truth and error, between what is of GoD and what is not of God; thus, between heaven and hell, between light and darkness, between what makes an angel and what makes an infernal. For, in proportion to the clearness with which such distinctions. are seen, will be the defence and security of the spiritual vineyard. Q. Do you conceive, then, that defence and security arise from distinctions?

A. No, not from distinctions alone, but from the arrangement and order to which distinctions lead. For it is an eternal law that there can be no spiritual defence and security without arrangement and order; and there can be no arrangement and order without distinction of the principles which are to be arranged and brought into order.

Q. Do you recollect any other distinctions which are necessary to constitute the spiritual hedge?

A. Yes; it is necessary for every individual member of the church, who wishes to secure his spiritual vineyard by its proper hedge, to distinguish well, in himself, between his internal and external man, also between his will, his understanding, and his operation; thus, between good and truth, between charity, faith, and good works, because his salvation depends, in a great measure, on the conjunction of these things in himself; and they can never be conjoined until they be first clearly seen and distinguished.

Q. And what do you understand by the winepress which the Householder is said to dig in his vineyard?

A. The meaning of the winepress here spoken of, can only be discovered from the use of a natural winepress, which, every one knows, is to separate the juice of the grape from the husk, and thus to discover and make manifest the quality of the grapes which are pressed in it. For, before the grapes are put into the winepress, it is impossible to know whether they be good or bad grapes, sweet or sour, wholesome or unwholesome. In like manner, without exploration and examination of man's works, which are the fruits of his vineyard, it is impossible for him to know what is their proper quality, whether they be good works or evil works-works which will save, or works which will condemn him; and hence it is to be concluded, that exploration and examination form the true spiritual winepress which every wise householder diggeth in his vineyard.

Q. And what do you further understand by the tower which the Householder built in his vineyard?

A. The spiritual meaning of the tower, like that of the winepress, can only be learnt from the use of a natural tower; which use, as every one knows, is two-fold, viz., for observation and defence; for observation, in discovering the approach of an enemy, and for defence against an enemy when his approach is discovered. A natural tower, therefore, is an elevated building, to increase its power of ob

servation; and it is also a strong building, to increase its power of defence. Exactly similar is the case of the spiritual tower, with this only difference, that the spiritual tower is designed for the observation of spiritual enemies, and for defence against them. The spiritual tower, therefore, consists of elevated thought, which is capable of discovering the approach of spiritual enemies, and, at the same time, of defending itself against their assaults.

Q. What do you mean by elevated thought?

A. I mean thought derived from the truths of GOD'S MOST HOLY WORD, and exalted to conjunction with JESUS CHRIST and His kingdom, through the elevating power of heavenly love and charity.

Q. You have spoken of the spiritual tower in respect to its power of observation. How do you conceive of it in regard to its power of defence?

A. The power of observation, arising from a state of elevated thought, and the power of defence in the spiritual idea, are one and the same thing; because spiritual defence, in all cases, is the result of elevated thought, as spiritual insecurity is at all times the effect of non-elevated thought. And the reason is, because elevated thought, as was observed, is thought exalted to conjunction with JESUS CHRIST, Consequently, to conjunction with his omnipotence; whereas, non-elevated thought, not being connected with the Divine Omnipotence, has no power at all against spiritual adversaries.

Q. What do you understand by letting out the vineyard to husbandmen?

A. By husbandmen are here to be understood spiritual husbandmen; and by letting out the vineyard to such husbandmen is meant, the communicating to them the knowledge of the Eternal Truth, to the intent that they may cherish it in their hearts and lives, until it brings forth its heavenly fruits of love and charity. In the same sense, the LORD is said to have placed the first man in the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it, because the garden of Eden, like the vineyard here spoken of, was a figure of man's intellectual mind, stored with the rich and holy truths of God's MOST HOLY WORD; and to dress and keep this garden, is to preserve those holy truths from decay, that so they may bring forth their proper fruits of heavenly love, and life, and peace.

Q. And what do you understand by the householder going into a far country?

A. By the Householder, it has been already seen, is meant the LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST; and by his going into a far country, is to be understood his apparent absence, whilst man is under the first insemination of truth; for, during such insemination, he is necessarily led to conceive that GoD is afar off, nor can he possibly get quit of this sentiment, until the truth produces its fruit of love and charity; for it is the spirit of love and charity which alone brings God near to man, and removes all idea of distance and separation.

Q. But it is said that when the time of fruit drew near, the Householder sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of the vineyard? What do you here understand by the time of the fruit drawing near?

A. By the time of the fruit drawing near is to be understood the period when truth, received in the understanding, begins to affect the will and its love; for the fruit here spoken of is the fruit of the spiritual vineyard, and the fruit of the spiritual vineyard is nothing else but love and charity, and the good works to which they give birth. For in the kingdom of grace, as in that of nature, there is a variety of seasons, answering to the four seasons of the year, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Spring is a season distinguished by the first insemination and reception of the Eternal Truth in the human understanding. Summer is the season when such truth enters and operates on the will or love, and produces in it its own heavenly fruits of righteousness, joy, and peace. Autumn is the season when the above fruit is brought to its maturity. And Winter is the season of spiritual trial and temptation, in which the plants of heavenly truth take deeper root in the faithful and patient mind, and are thus prepared for future seasons of increased fruitfulness and use.

Q. And what do you understand by the Householder sending his servants to the husbandmen to receive the fruits of the vineyard?

A. By the servants here spoken of, are to be understood the teachers of Holy Truth, and thus the truths which they teach, especially respecting God, as the sole Author of all that is good in man, consequently, as the sole Proprietor of all the fruits of man's spiritual vineyard. Not that GOD, for his own sake, wishes to be regarded as such a Proprietor, but for the sake of man, because it is for the happiness of man that he should acknowledge-and acknowledge gratefullythat all the fruits of his vineyard, that is to say, all his love and charity, all his good words and works, all his joys and delights, are from GOD, and therefore properly belong unto God.

Q. But it is said that the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. What do you understand here by the husbandmen taking his servants?

A. By taking the servants, is to be understood, that they apprehended the truths of GOD's HOLY WORD in their understandings; but that this apprehension was confined to the understanding, and did not extend its influence to the will, is plain from its being said afterwards that they beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Q. And what do you understand by these expressions: beating one, killing another, and stoning another?

A. These expressions denote the different methods of treatment of the Eternal Truth by those who are not willing to submit to its guidance and government. For, to beat the servants denotes the perversion of truth by evils of life; to kill the servants denotes to deprive truth of its life, by separating it from the spirit of love and charity; and to stone the servants, denotes to falsify truth by applying it to the confirmation of what is evil and false.

Q. But it is said that the Householder again sent other servants more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. What do you here understand by other servants more than the first?

A. I learn from these words that the ALMIGHTY is not satisfied with presenting only one message to his children to require their love and

obedience; but if His first message fails he multiplies His invitations, being desirous, out of His tender love, to try every possible method of converting them to Himself, that so He may bless them with all the blessings of His Divine Love and Wisdom from Himself.

Q. But it is said that last of all He sent to them His Son, saying, They will reverence my SoN. What do you understand here, by the Householder sending His Son?

A. By the Householder sending His Son, is meant, GoD manifest in the flesh; for whether we speak of GoD sending His Son into the world, or of God manifesting Himself in the flesh, it is the same thing, denoting that in the fulness of time the ETERNAL JEHOVAH, the CREATOR of all things, descended here on earth, and assumed the HUMANITY, which He afterwards glorified, or made one with Himself, and all this for the purpose of effecting the salvation of man, by subduing His spiritual enemies, and by giving him continual access to Himself, in HIS GLORIFIED or DIVINE HUMANITY.

Q. And what do you understand by the Householder saying, They will reverence my Son?

A. These words were intended to teach, that no expectation could be more reasonable, than that the INCARNATE GOD, when he appeared upon earth to instruct, to bless and to save His otherwise lost creatures, would have been kindly and affectionately received by them; as, on the other hand, no expectation could be more unreasonable, than that the MAKER of the world, coming down to restore it to His peace and love, should be treated with indignity, and finally be rejected, crucified, slain, and thus cast out of His own vineyard, which Himself had planted, and the fruitfulness of which he was desirous of promoting.

Q. But it is said, that when the husbandmen saw the Son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. What do you here understand by the husbandmen seeing the Son?

A. By the Son is meant, God manifested in the human nature; and by seeing Him is to be understood, an apprehension of this truth in the understanding, for every one may be said to see the SON OF God who receives, in his intellectual mind, any knowledge concerning His manfestation in the flesh.

Q. And what do you understand further by the husbandmen saying among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance?

A. In the original it is expressed, they said in themselves, to denote that this was the interior thought and purpose of their hearts, to destroy in themselves the revealed truth concerning the manifestation of God in the flesh, because they discerned clearly that if they admitted this truth to rule in their minds, they could no longer live to themselves and the world, as they delighted to do. With the destruction of this truth, respecting the INCARNATE GOD, was connected the additional thought and purpose of seizing on his inheritance, because the inheritance of God is the heart of man; and to seize on this inheri