Page:Sermons on the Ten Commandments.djvu/72

 are as the father arid mother. Then from these are derived various secondary thoughts and affections: these are as the sons and daughters. Moreover, there are many subsidiary and subservient principles and desires, which as it were give aid and support to the ruling love: these are as the man-servants, maidservants, and cattle. Add to these, there may be in a household a sojourner, stranger, lodger: this, in the spiritual sense, signifies knowledge in the memory. The reason of this signification of sojourner is, that, among the Israelites a sojourner was a stranger, a foreigner, who was dwelling among them, and learning their religion, with the intention of becoming one of them. Now, as the sojourner was merely in the condition of a learner—one acquiring knowledge, hence in the spiritual sense, by a sojourner is signified knowledge itself. It is said, "who is in thy gates" or "at thy gates," because knowledge is merely at the gate or entrance into the mind, merely in the memory.

Now, none of these, it is said, shall do any work on the Sabbath: that is, in the state of regeneration, the whole mind is at peace, from the highest principles to the lowest, from the inmost to the outermost. By doing work, in the Jewish Church, was represented acting from self. And the command to do no work on the Sabbath, was given in order to represent that when man is regenerated, he does not act at all from himself, but altogether from the Lord. Not only is he led and guided by the Lord, as to his highest thoughts and ruling affections, but even his lower and worldly thoughts and inclinations are all kept under