most holy, and to be regarded by man as most holy, namely, the Divine Humanity of the Lord, and the state of conjunction of good and truth (or, what is the same thing, the state of regeneration) which flows into man from the Lord's Divine Humanity.
"Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work." By the "six days of labor," in the spiritual sense, are meant the states of mental labor and combat, which man passes through in attaining a state of regeneration. Such is the signification of labor in many places in the Word; for instance, in that interesting passage in the Apocalypse, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow with them.'[1] Here, by "the dead," are meant they who are dead to the world, whose natural life of self-love has become extinguished, and who have received the new life of love to the Lord and to their neighbor in its place—in other words, who have become regenerated. By "the labors" from which they are to "rest," are signified their struggles and combats, the efforts which they have made to overcome their own spirits, and to put away the evils of their hearts:—by labors are signified also the inward temptations which to this end it was necessary for them to endure. But "now," saith the Spirit (that is, the truth of the Divine Word declares), they are to have rest from their labors, and to be "blessed" forever in heaven, whither "their works will follow with them;" that is, the result of their faithful endeavors will all be
