98. (Verse 2) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy endurance. That this signifies all things that they will, think and do, thus all things of love and faith in the spiritual and in the natural man, is evident from the signification of works, as being the things of the will and love (concerning which more will be said in what follows); and from the signification of labour, as being the things of the thought and faith (concerning which also more will be said in what follows); and from the signification of endurance, as being the things thence effected, or which they do. But that such things are signified by these words can hardly be comprehended unless it be known that all things done by man flow from the interiors of his mind, and that the mind is all in all things which man performs, and that the body is only a subservient agent which exhibits in a visible form what the mind wills and thinks. This is why by those external things which are here called works, labour and endurance, are signified to will, to think, and thence to do, or, what is the same, to love, believe, and thence to show forth in act. But still these things cannot be comprehended unless it be also known that man possesses two faculties, which are called will and understanding, and that these two faculties are, under one expression, called the mind; also that man has an internal and an external, the internal being in the light of the spiritual world, and the external in the light of the natural world. (These are treated of in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, concerning the will and the understanding, n. 28-35; and concerning the internal and the external man, n. 36-52.) These things being understood, it can be known that, by works, in the spiritual sense, is meant whatever a man wills and loves, by labour whatever a man thinks or believes, and by endurance whatever he thence brings forth into act.
[2] But let us pass by these things, as being perhaps too little known, and consequently too obscure, to be clearly perceived, and attend to this only, that by works, in the spiritual sense, are meant all things of the will or love of man, and this because, in what follows, where the seven churches are treated of, it is first said of each, "I know thy works:" as
"Unto the angel of the church of the Smyraeans write; these things, saith the first and the last, I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty" (verses 8, 9);
"Unto the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things said he that hath the sharp two-edged sword, I know thy works, and where thou dwellest" (vers. 12, 13);
"Unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things saith the Son of God, I know thy works and charity" (vers. 18, 19);
"Unto the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, I know thy works, that thou art said to live" (3:1);
"Unto the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, I know thy works" (verses 7, 8); and
"Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, I know thy works" (vers. 14, 15).
[3] Because it was there said of each, "I know thy works," it is clear that by works are signified in general all things of the church; and because all things of the church have reference to love and faith, therefore these are meant by works in the spiritual sense. The reason why such things are meant by works in the spiritual sense, is, that every work, or every deed, or every act, which is apparently done from the body, is not done from the body, but by the body from the will and thought of man; for not one particle of the body is moved, but from the will and thought. This is why works signify those things, but not the things which are manifested in the external form. That this is the case, is known to every one who reflects. Who is there that is wise that regards a man from his deeds alone, and not from his will? If he wills well, he loves his deeds; but if he wills evil, he does not love his deeds: the latter he also sees and explains according to the intention of his will. He who is spiritual attends still less to the deeds, and explores the will. The reason is, as has been said, that deeds are nothing in themselves, but they derive their character entirely from the will; for deeds are the will in act. It is said the will, but, in the spiritual sense, is meant the love, because a man wills what he loves, and what he loves that he wills. The will of man is only a receptacle of his love (as may be seen from what is said and shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, concerning that faculty of man, n.28-35; and in the work, Heaven and Hell 358, 470-484).
[4] Because works or deeds in the Word signify specifically those things that proceed from a man's love or will, therefore it is often said in the Word that man shall be judged and rewarded according to his works, where works such as they are in the external form are not meant, but in the internal, as in the following passages:
"The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27)
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, Yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labours; their works do follow them" (Apoc. 14:13).
"I will give unto every one of you according to his works" (Apoc. 2:23).
"I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead that were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works" (Apoc. 20:12, 13).
"Behold I come, and my reward is with me, to give every man according to his works" (Apoc. 22:12).
And in Jeremiah:
"I will recompense them, according to their works, and according to the doing (factum) of their hands" (25:14).
O Jehovah, "whose eyes are open upon all the ways of men, to give to every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his works" (32:19).
"I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their works" (Hosea 4:9).
"According to our ways and according to our works, so Jehovah hath dealt with us" (Zechariah 1:6).
When the Lord foretells concerning the Last Judgment, He makes mention only of works, and declares that those who have done good works shall enter into life eternal, and those who have done evil works into condemnation (Matthew 25:32-46).
[5] That works signify the things of love and faith, the Lord also shows in these words:
"They said unto Jesus, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? He answered, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom" the Father "hath sent" (John 6:28, 29).
And in another place:
"The night shall come when no man can work" (John 9:4).
Night signifies the last time of the church, when there is no faith, because no charity. (That night signifies time see Arcana Coelestia 2353, 6000.) The reason why works are so often mentioned, is, that the sense of the letter of the Word consists only of things external, which are in nature, and are seen by the eyes in order that the spiritual sense may be in each of the expressions, as the soul is in the body; for otherwise the Word would not be a means of communication with the angels, but would be like a house without a foundation (see what was said above, n. 8, 16). This is why the angels, because they are spiritual, do not understand works, when works are named, but the things from which works proceed, which are, as was said above, the will or love, and thence the thought belonging to faith. (But this circumstance may be seen more clearly set forth in the work, Heaven and Hell 470-483, where it is shown that a man after death is such as his life was in the world.) The reason why by labour in the spiritual sense is meant everything that a man thinks, is, that to labour spiritually is to think; and the reason why endurance signifies every thing that a man does is, that to endure in this case is to be assiduous, and to remove the obstacles which are in the natural man, which continually rise up and cause hindrance.
