150. Verse 18. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, signifies those of the church with whom the internal and the external, or the spiritual and natural man, make one. This is evident from what is written to this angel understood in the internal sense, which treats of the conjunction of the internal or spiritual man with the external or natural man, or concerning those of the church in whom these are conjoined. In every man there is an internal and an external; his internal is what is called the spiritual man, the external what is called the natural man. When man is born, the external or natural man is first opened; and afterwards, as he grows up and is perfected in intelligence and wisdom, the internal or spiritual man is opened. The external or natural man is opened by such things as man derives from the world, while the internal or spiritual man is opened by such things as he derives from heaven; for the external or natural man is formed for receiving such things as are in the world, but the internal or spiritual man for receiving such things as are in heaven. The things in the world, for receiving which the external or natural man is formed, have reference, in general, to all things of civil and moral life; while the things in heaven, for receiving which the internal or spiritual man is formed, have reference, in general, to all things of love and faith. [2] Since there are these two in man, and each separately must be opened by means proper to it, it is clear that unless the internal is opened by its proper means man continues merely natural, and his internal in that case is closed. But those with whom the internal is closed are not men of the church; for the church with man is formed through communication with heaven: and there is no communication with heaven unless man's internal is opened by its proper means, all which have reference, as was said above, to love and faith. It is to be known, moreover, that with the man of the church, that is, the man who has been regenerated by the Lord by means of truths called truths of faith and by means of a life according to them, the internal and external or the spiritual and natural man are conjoined, and that this conjunction is effected by correspondences. (The nature of correspondences, and therefore the nature of the conjunction effected by them can be seen from what is shown about them in The Arcana Coelestia, and cited from that work in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 261.) [3] Now since a man does not become a man of the church until his internal or spiritual man has been opened and until this has been conjoined with the external or natural man, those within the church in whom this conjunction is effected are now treated of; for (as was said above, n. 20) by "the seven churches" are not meant seven churches, but all in general who are of the Lord's church; consequently what is written to the angel of each church treats of such things as constitute the church; here, therefore, that is, "to the angel of the church of Thyatira," the internal and external are treated of, and the conjunction of the two in those of the church. (But as hitherto it has not been known that these two are actually in man, and that they must be opened and conjoined that man may be a man of the church; and as these things cannot be made clear in a few words, therefore they have been treated of in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 36-53, 179-182.)