243. And white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, signifies genuine truths and intelligence therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "white garments," as being genuine truths, for garments signify truths (See above, n. 195), and "white" signifies what is genuine, and is predicated of truths (See above, n. 196); also from the signification of "to clothe," as being to acquire intelligence for oneself therefrom, for by means of genuine truths all intelligence is acquired; for the human understanding is formed to receive truths, therefore it becomes such as the truths are out of which it is formed. It is supposed that understanding is also the ability to reason from thought and to speak from falsities, and to confirm falsities by many arguments; but this is not understanding, it is only a faculty granted to man with the memory to which it is adjoined, and of which it is an activity. Yet by means of this faculty the understanding is born and formed, so far as man receives truths from affection; but genuine truths it is not possible for any man to receive from affection except only from the Lord, since they are from Him; consequently, to receive understanding, or to become intelligent, is not given to any man, except only from the Lord, but it is given to everyone who applies himself to receive (according to what was said above, n. 239. This, therefore, is signified by "I counsel thee to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed."

227. Verse 14. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, signifies those who are in faith alone, thus those who are in faith separate from charity. This is evident from the internal or spiritual sense of all things that are written to the angel of this church; for the essential of the church that is described in what is written to each of the churches, is made evident only from the internal sense; for these are prophecies; and all prophecies, like all things else in the Word, are written by correspondences, to the end that by means of these there may be conjunction of heaven with the church. Conjunction is effected by means of correspondences; for heaven, or the angels in heaven, understand spiritually all those things that man understands naturally, and between natural and spiritual things there is a perpetual correspondence, and by means of correspondences there is conjunction like that between soul and body. On this account the Word is written in the style that it is; otherwise there would be no soul within it, consequently no heaven within it; and if heaven were not in it, the Divine would not be in it. For this reason then it is said that from the internal or spiritual sense of all things in what is written to each church, it is made manifest what essential of the church is meant; thus that what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who are in faith alone, that is, in faith separate from charity. It is said faith separate from charity, by which is meant faith separate from the life, for charity is of the life; consequently when faith has been separated from the life, it is not in the man but outside of him; for whatever has place in the memory only, and is taken up from the memory into the thought, without entering into man's will and from the will into act, that is not within man but outside of him; for the memory, and thought therefrom, is only as a court, through which there is entrance into the house; the house is the will. Such is faith alone, or faith separate from charity. Moreover, what this faith is may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 108-122; also in the small work on The Last Judgment 33-39; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 270, 271, 364, 482, 526. Also above, in the Explanation of Revelation, n. 204, 211-213. Moreover, what charity is and what the neighbor is, in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 84-107; in the work on Heaven and Hell 13-19, 528-535; and above, in the Explanation, n. 182, 198, 213.