900. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, signifies that such will henceforth be free from combat against evils and falsities, and from infestation by them. This is evident from the signification of "saith the Spirit," as being assertion that it is true, for "angel," likewise "Spirit," signifies truth from the Lord. Also from the signification of "labors," as being combats against evils and falsities and infestations by them, thus temptations (of which presently), therefore "to rest from them" signifies that they will henceforth be free from them. This makes evident that "the Spirit saith, that they may rest from their labors," signifies that it is true that they will henceforth be free from combat against evils and falsities, and from infestation by them. The preceding verse treats of the temptations of those who live according to the Lord's commandments and who acknowledge His Divine, therefore this verse treats of the consolations that follow spiritual temptations; for, as has been said above n. 897, after all spiritual temptations joys come forth.
[2] "Labors" mean temptations, because temptations are labors of the soul or spiritual labors; and these are meant by "labor" in Isaiah:
Jehovah hath willed to bruise him, He hath weakened him; if He hath made his soul a guilt-offering, he shall see seed, he shall prolong days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper by his hand; he shall see of the labor of his soul and shall be satisfied (Isaiah 53:10, 11).
This is said of the Lord, of whom the whole of that chapter treats. The Lord's temptations, which were most grievous, because they were against the hells, are described by "Jehovah willed to bruise him, He hath weakened him," for by means of temptations the loves of what is one's own [proprium] are broken, thus the body is bruised and weakened. "If he hath made his soul a guilt-offering" signifies, if he has endured temptations even unto death; "he shall see seed" signifies that the Divine truth shall proceed from Him, "seed" meaning truth, and in reference to the Lord the Divine truth; "he shall prolong days" signifies the Divine good, which shall also proceed from Him, "long" and thus "to prolong" being said in reference to good (See above, n. 629), and "days" signifying states. "And the will of Jehovah shall prosper by his hand" signifies that thus all things and each thing in the heavens and in the earths shall be kept in Divine order; "of the labor of his soul" signifies by temptations; "he shall see and shall be satisfied" signifies glorification. This is the signification of these words in the highest sense, which treats of the Lord. But in a relative sense they describe the salvation of the human race, for which the Lord fought from Divine love.
[3] It is said, "If he hath made his soul a guilt-offering," as if it were a matter of doubt whether he would so make it. But the same truth is involved in this as in what He Himself says in John:
I lay down My soul that I may take it again; no man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from My Father (John 10:17, 18).
The arcanum that is concealed in these words no one can see unless he knows what the temptations are by which man is regenerated. For in these man is kept in his freedom; from which it appears to him as if he fought from himself. In fact, man has in temptations a more potent spiritual freedom than when he is not in them, for it is more interior. Unless man fought from this freedom in temptations he could not become spiritual; for all freedom is of the love, therefore man then fights from the love of truth, and thus from the love of eternal life; and in this and in no other way is the internal opened and man regenerated. From these few things it can be seen in some degree what is involved in these words of the Lord, namely, that he fought from His own freedom and finally laid down His soul that He might do all things from His own power, and thus might become righteousness from Himself, which He could not have become except from His freedom; and this is why it is said, "I lay down My soul of Myself; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received from My Father."
[4] Those to whom this arcanum is unknown interpret these words as the Arians do, that the Lord was the adopted not the actual Son of God; thus that He was adopted because He was willing to lay down His life, or endure the death of the cross; not knowing that these words involve that from His own power He fought against the hells from His Human and overcame them, and from His own power He glorified His Human, that is, united it to the very Divine in Himself, and thus made it Divine; and that this could by no means have been done if absolute freedom had not been left to Him as to the Human. All this makes clear why it is said in Isaiah, "If He hath made his soul a guilt-offering."
(That freedom is that which is of the love and of the will and thus of the life of man, and that it appears as if it were his own [proprium], can be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.141, 145).
That man must have freedom in order to be regenerated can be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1937, 1947, 2876, 2881, 3145, 3158, 4031, 8700.
That in no other way can the love of good and truth be implanted in man and be appropriated to him, apparently as his own, n. 2877, 2879, 2880, 8700.
That nothing is conjoined to man that is done by compulsion, n. 2875, 8700.
That to compel oneself is from freedom, but not to be compelled, n. 1937, 2881.
That in all temptation there is freedom, but this freedom is more interiorly in man from the Lord, and for this reason he fights and wishes to conquer and not to be conquered, which he would not do without freedom, n. 1937, 1947, 2881.
That the Lord fought alone and from His own power against all the hells, and overcame them, n. 1692, 1813, 2816, 4295, 8273, 9937.
That thus the Lord became righteousness from Himself alone, n. 1813, 2025-2027, 9715, 9809, 10019.
That the Lord's last temptation was in Gethsemane and upon the cross, when He gained a complete victory, by which He subjugated the hells, and at the same time glorified His Human, n. 2776, 2803, 2813, 2814, 10655, 10659, 10828.
All these are from the Arcana Coelestia, from which still more may be seen collected in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, under the heads,
The Freedom of Man, n.The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 148, 149;
Temptations in General, n. 196-200;
The Lord's Temptations, n. 201, 302)
