429. Verse 6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them, signifies that it is the desire of those who are in the doctrine of faith separated, that in matters of faith the understanding should be shut up and the will closed, and thus that they should not have any spiritual light and life; but that it is nevertheless provided by the Lord that the understanding should not be shut up, nor the will closed, lest spiritual light and life with man should be extinguished. "In those days," signifies the last state of the church, when the doctrine of faith alone is universally received. "Men shall seek death," signifies that they will that, in matters of faith, the understanding should be shut up; "and shall not find it," signifies that it is provided of the Lord, that this should not be done; "and shall desire to die," signifies that they also wish to have the will closed in them; "and death shall flee from them," signifies that it is provided that neither should take place; for thus spiritual light and life would be extinguished, and man would spiritually die. "To seek," is predicated of the understanding; and "to desire," of the will; and "death," of both. That this is the signification of these words, is evident; otherwise, what meaning could there be in that "men should seek death in those days and not find it, and should desire to die and death should flee from them?" For by "death," no other death is meant but spiritual death, which is induced when the understanding is removed from the things that are to be believed; for in this case man does not know whether he thinks and does what is true, or what is false, thus whether he thinks and acts with the angels of heaven, or with the devils of hell.