25-27. This implies, that the Lord did not acknowledge Mary as a mother,
but the church; therefore he calls her Woman, and the disciple's mother.
The reason why the Lord called her the mother of this disciple, or of
John, was, because John represented the church as to the goods of
charity, which are the church in real effect; therefore it is said, He
took her unto his own. Peter represented truth and faith, James charity,
and John the works of charity, as may be seen in the APOCALYPSE
REVEALED, n. 5, 6, 790, 798, 879; and the twelve disciples together
represented the church as to all its constituent principles, as may be
seen, Ibid, n. 233, 790, 903, 915.

120. III. THE OFFSPRING DERIVED FROM THE LORD AS A HUSBAND AND FATHER,
AND FROM THE CHURCH AS A WIFE AND MOTHER, ARE ALL SPIRITUAL; AND IN THE
SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD ARE UNDERSTOOD BY SONS AND DAUGHTERS,
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, SONS-IN-LAW, AND DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW, AND BY OTHER
NAMES OF RELATIONS. That no other than spiritual offspring are born of
the Lord by the church, is a proposition which wants no demonstration,
because reason sees it to be self-evident; for it is the Lord from whom
every good and truth proceeds, and it is the church which receives them
and brings them into effect; and all the spiritual things of heaven and
the church relate to good and truth. Hence it is that sons and daughters
in the Word, in its spiritual sense, signify truths and goods: sons,
truths conceived in the spiritual man, and born in, the natural; and
daughters, goods in like manner: therefore those who are regenerated by
the Lord, are called in the Word sons of God, sons of the kingdom, born
of him; and the Lord called the disciples sons: the male child, that the
woman brought forth, and that was caught up to God, Rev. xii. 5, has a
similar signification; see APOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 543. Since daughters
signify goods of the church, therefore in the Word mention is so
frequently made of the daughter of Zion, the daughter of Jerusalem, the
daughter of Israel, and the daughter of Judah; by whom is signified not
any daughter, but the affection of good, which is an affection of the
church; see also APOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 612. The Lord also calls those
who are of his church, brethren and sisters; see Matt. xii. 49, 50;
chap. xxv. 40; chap, xxviii. 10; Mark iii. 35; Luke viii. 21.

121. IV. THE SPIRITUAL OFFSPRING, WHICH ARE BORN FROM THE LORD'S
MARRIAGE WITH THE CHURCH, ARE TRUTHS AND