4835. 'Come [in] to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her' means that this - that representative of the Church - might be continued. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming (or going in) to a brother's wife and performing the duty of a husband's brother to her' as preserving and continuing that which constitutes the Church. The requirement laid down in the Mosaic Law, that if a man died without issue his brother was to marry his widow and raise up seed for his brother, and that the firstborn was to receive his dead brother's name, whereas all other sons were to be his own, was called the duty of a brother-in-law. The fact that this directive was nothing new in the Jewish Church but a practice already in existence is clear from the words used here; and the same goes for many other directives given to the Israelites through Moses, such as the law forbidding them to take wives from the daughters of the Canaanites and requiring them to marry within their own families, Genesis 24:3-4; 28:1-2. From these and many other examples it is evident that a Church had existed previously in which the same kind of practices were followed as those at a later time which were declared to and demanded of the sons of Jacob. Altars and sacrifices likewise had been in use since ancient times, as is evident from Genesis 8:20-21; 22:3, 7-8. From this it is plain that the Jewish Church was not a new Church but a revival of the Ancient Church which had perished.

[2] What the law regarding the duty of a brother-in-law had been is clear in Moses,

If brothers dwell together but one of them dies, and has no son, the wife of the dead one shall not marry a stranger outside [the family]; her brother-in-law shall go in to her, and take her to himself as his wife, and so perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her. Then it will happen, that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, so that his name is not wiped out from Israel. But if the man is unwilling to take his sister-in-law, his sister-in-law shall go up to the gate to the elders, and she shall say, My brother-in-law refuses to raise up for his brother a name in Israel; he is unwilling to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me. Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him; and if he stands and says, I do not desire to take her, his sister-in-law shall go up to him in the sight of the elders, and she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, So will it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house. Therefore his name will be called in Israel, The house of him who has his shoe taken off. Deuteronomy 25:5-10.

[3] Anyone who does not know what the duty of a brother-in-law represents inevitably believes that the practice existed solely for the sake of preserving a name and consequently an inheritance. But the preservation of a name and an inheritance was not in itself a great enough reason why a brother should have been required to enter into a marriage with his sister-in-law. Rather, the practice was ordained so that the preservation and continuation of the Church might be represented through it. For a marriage represented the marriage of good and truth, which is the heavenly marriage. It therefore represented the Church too, for the Church is a Church by virtue of the marriage of good and truth, and when this marriage exists within it the Church makes one with heaven, which is the true heavenly marriage. And because a marriage represented these things, 'sons and daughters' were therefore representations and also meaningful signs of truths and goods. This being so, 'being without issue' meant a lack of good and truth, and so meant that no representative of the Church existed in that house any longer, and that as a consequence it was not in communion with the Church. In addition 'brother' represented a kindred good to which the truth represented by a widow might be joined. For to be the kind of truth that has life, produces fruit, and thereby continues that which constitutes the Church, truth cannot be joined to any other good but that which is its own and a kindred one. This was how those in heaven perceived the duty of a brother-in-law.

[4] The meaning of this practice - of a sister-in-law removing the shoe from upon the foot of the man who refused to do the duty of a brother-in-law, and of her spitting in his face - was this: Anyone devoid of good and truth, external and internal, would destroy those things that constitute the Church; for 'the shoe' means that which is external, 1748, and 'the face' that which is internal, 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796. From this it is evident that 'the duty of a brother-in-law' represented the preservation and continuation of the Church. But when through the Lord's Coming representatives of internal things came to an end, that particular law was done away with. It is like a person's soul or spirit in relation to his body. A person's soul or spirit is the internal part of him and his body the external; or what amounts to the same, the soul or spirit is the true likeness of the person, whereas the body is merely a representative image of him. When a person rises again his representative image or that which is external, namely his body, is cast aside, for he is now conscious in that which is internal, namely the true likeness of him. It is also like a person who is in darkness and from there looks at things belonging to light; or what amounts to the same, like one who is in the light of the world and from there looks at things belonging to the light of heaven. For the light of the world in comparison with the light of heaven is as darkness. Within that darkness, that is, within the light of the world, things belonging to the light of heaven as they exist essentially cannot be seen, but are seen so to speak within a representative image, even as the human mind is seen in a person's face. Therefore when the light of heaven is seen in its own essential brightness, the darkness of representative images is dispelled. This was effected through the Lord's Coming.

[4835a] 'And raise up seed for your brother' means so that the Church does not perish. This is clear from the meaning of 'seed' as truth derived from good, or faith grounded in charity, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 16110, 1940, 2848, 3310, 3373, 3671. The same is also meant by the firstborn who was to succeed to the name of the dead brother, 352, 367, 2435, 3325, 3494. 'Raising up seed for a brother' means continuing that which constitutes the Church, in line with what has been stated just above in 4834, and thus means so that the Church does not perish.

3934. 'And Leah said, A troop comes!' in the highest sense means Omnipotence and Omniscience, in the internal sense the good of faith, and in the external sense works. This is clear from the meaning of 'a troop' in this context. The reason 'a troop' in the highest sense means Omnipotence and Omniscience is that the word troop here denotes a large number; and when a large number is used in reference to the Lord's Divine an infinitely large number is meant, and this is nothing else than Omnipotence and Omniscience. But the term omnipotence is rooted in the idea of vastness in dimension, and omniscience in the idea of vastness in number. Omnipotence is also rooted in the idea of infinite good, or what amounts to the same, in Divine love and so in the Divine will, whereas omniscience is rooted in the idea of infinite truth, or what amounts to the same, in Divine intelligence. Why 'troop' in the internal sense means the good of faith is a question of correspondence, for good that is the good of charity corresponds to the Lord's Divine omnipotence, and truth which is the truth of faith to His omniscience.

[2] The reason why 'a troop' in the external sense means works is that these correspond to the good of faith. Indeed works are the product of that good, for the good of faith cannot exist without works, just as thinking what is good and willing it cannot exist without the doing of it. The one is the internal, the other the corresponding external. What is more, so far as works are concerned, if they do not correspond to the good of faith they are not the works of charity, nor are they the works of faith, since they are not the outcome of what should properly be within them, but dead works that have no good or truth within them. But when the external does correspond to the internal, works are either those of charity or of faith. The works of charity are those which flow from charity as their soul, but the works of faith are those which flow from faith. The works of charity are done by one who is regenerate, whereas the works of faith are done by one who is not yet regenerate but is becoming so. The same applies to affections, that is to say, to the affection for good and the affection for truth. The regenerate person does good out of an affection for that good and so from a desire for good, whereas the one who is to be regenerated does good out of an affection for truth, and so from a knowledge of good. (How these affections differ from each other has often been shown already.) From this one may see what is meant by works.

[3] Furthermore the relationship of the good of faith to works is like that of a person's will and consequent thought to his face, which, as is well known, is an image of the mind, that is, of the person's will and consequent thought. If will and thought do not present themselves in the face as their true image then hypocrisy or deceit, not will and thought, are manifested there because that person presents a different face from what he wills and thinks. It is similar with every act of the body in relation to the more internal things of thought and will. The internal side of a person lives within his external by means of act or action. If act or action does not accord with his internal it is a sign either that that act is not the product of his internal but a mere response to custom and habit, or that it is something untrue as in hypocrisy and in deceit. Here again one may see what is meant by works. Consequently anyone who professes faith, more so anyone who professes the good of faith, and yet denies works, and more so if he rejects them, is without faith and still more without charity.

[4] This being the nature of the works of charity and faith, and since nobody has any charity or faith in him unless works are being done, the Word therefore mentions works so many times, as may be seen from the following places: In Jeremiah,

Your eyes have been opened upon all the ways of the sons of man, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his works. Jeremiah 32:19.

In the same prophet,

Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and make your works good. Jeremiah 35:15.

In the same prophet, I will requite them according to their work and according to the work of their hands. Jeremiah 25:14.

In Hosea,

I will visit upon him his ways, and requite him for his works. Hosea 4:9.

In Micah,

The earth will be a desolation over its inhabitants, on account of the fruit of their works. Micah 7:13.

In Zechariah,

Thus said Jehovah Zebaoth, Turn from your evil ways and from your evil works. Jehovah Zebaoth thought to deal with us according to our ways, and according to our works so He dealt with us. Zechariah 1:4, 6.

In John,

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from labours, for their works follow them. Revelation 14:13.

[5] In the same book,

I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by the things written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up the dead that were in them. They were judged therefore every one according to their works. Revelation 20:12-13.

In the same book,

Behold, I am coming quickly, My reward with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. Revelation 22:12.

In John the Evangelist,

This is the judgement, that light has come into the world, but men preferred darkness rather than light, for their works were evil. Everyone who performs evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light lest his works should be exposed. Anyone however who does the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen, because they have been wrought in God. John 3:19-21.

In the same gospel,

The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that their works are evil. John 7:7.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said to the Jews, If you were Abraham's sons you would do the works of Abraham. You do the works of your father. John 8:39, 41.

In the same gospel,

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. John 13:17.

[6] In Matthew,

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works. He who does and teaches so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:16, 19.

In the same gospel,

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by Your name, and by Your name cast out demons, and do many mighty works in Your name? But then I will confess to them, I do not know you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity! Matthew 7:21-23.

In Luke,

The householder replying says to them, I do not know where you are from. Then you will begin to say, We ate in your presence and we drank; you taught in our streets. But He will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity! Luke 13:25-27.

In Matthew,

Everyone who hears My words and does them I will liken to a wise man. But everyone hearing My words and not doing them will be likened to a foolish man. Matthew 7:24, 26.

In the same gospel,

The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father together with His angels, and at that time He will repay everyone according to his works. Matthew 16:27.

[7] From all these places it is evident that works are what save a person or what condemn him, good works being those that save, evil those that condemn; for his works contain what he wills. Anyone who wills what is good does what is good, but anyone who does not do what is good, no matter how much he may say that he wills it, does not will it when he does not do it. It is as though he were to say, I will it, yet I don't will it. And because the will itself is contained in works, and charity belongs to the will, and faith to charity, it is evident what kind of will, that is, what kind of charity and faith, is present in someone when he does not do good works, and more so when he does the opposite of these.

[8] In addition it should be recognized that the Lord's kingdom begins in a person in the life that belongs to works, for he is then at the start of regeneration; but once the Lord's kingdom is established in him the kingdom ends in works, and then he is regenerate. Indeed the internal man is in this case present in the external in a corresponding fashion; and since works are done by the external man while charity and faith rooted in charity dwell in the internal man, works are therefore at the same time charity. And as it is in the works of the external man that the life of the internal so presents itself, therefore - when speaking about the Last Judgement in Matthew 25:32-46 - the Lord lists nothing else than works, declaring that those who have done good works will enter into eternal life and those who have done evil into a state of damnation. What has been said also shows the meaning of what one reads about John's lying at Jesus' breast and in His bosom and about His loving him more than the rest, John 13:23, 25; 21:20; for John represented good works, see the Prefaces to Genesis 18, 22. What the works of faith are, which from their appearance may be called the fruits of faith, and what the works of charity are, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed more fully elsewhere.