388. [verse 1] 'And when He opened the seventh seal' signifies examination by the Lord of the state of the Church and consequently of the state of life of those who are in His spiritual kingdom, who are in charity and the faith thereof, here those who are in faith alone. That these things are signified can be established from the details of this chapter understood in the spiritual sense. For in this chapter and in the following ones to chap. xvi it treats of those who are in the spiritual kingdom who, as was said just above (n. 387), are those who are in love towards the neighbour and consequently in intelligence. But because at this day 'charity' is said instead of love towards the neighbour, and 'faith' instead of intelligence, and here no examination is made upon those who are in charity and the consequent faith, because these [i.e. charity and faith] belong to those who are in heaven; therefore here an examination is made upon those who are in faith alone. Faith alone is also faith separated from charity, because there is no conjunction, [as] may be seen below (n. 417). That 'to open the seal' signifies to examine the states of life, or what is the same, the states of the Church and consequently of life, may be seen above (n. 295, 302, 309, 317, 324).