Arcana Coelestia

of faith; these and other such things are in the ideas of those who live ill, and who thence think ill. This being the case, it necessarily follows, that when such come into the other life, they are separated and removed far from heaven, where the above evils excite horror.

6626. I will relate a wonderful truth: the Lord, Who alone is Man, (from Whom angels, spirits, and the inhabitants of earth are called men,) by His influx into heaven, causes the universal heaven to represent and resemble one man; and by influx through heaven and from Himself immediately into the individuals there, causes each to appear as a man, the angels in a more beautiful and splendid form than it is possible to describe; in like manner by influx into the spirit of man; yea, with angel, spirit, and man, who lives in charity towards his neighbour, and in love to the Lord, the smallest things of the thought resemble a man, because that charity and love is from the Lord, and whatsoever is from the Lord resembles a man; those principles also are what constitute a man. But on the other hand in hell, as its inhabitants are principled in things contrary to charity and celestial love, in their own gross light indeed they appear as men, but in the light of heaven as horrid monsters, in some of whom scarcely any thing of the human form is discernible: the reason is, because the Lord's influx through heaven is not received, but is rejected, extinguished, or perverted; whence they have such an appearance. In like manner in the smallest things of their thought, or in their ideas, there are such forms; for such as any one is in the whole, such is he in part, since they are analogous and homogeneous. The form in which they appear is also the form of the hell in which they are; for every hell has its form, which in the light of heaven is like a monster, and such of the inhabitants as appear thence, are discoverable by their form from what hell they are. They have appeared to me in the gates which opened into the world of spirits, and they were seen as monsters, with much variety. That the gates of hell open into the world of spirits,

Bee n. 5852.

THE END OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS

THE

FIRST PART OF THE

BOOK OF EXODUS.

CHAPTER THE FIRST.

6627. AT the beginnings of the chapters of the Book of Exodus, it is intended to premise doctrinals, first the doctrinals of charity, and afterwards the doctrinals of faith; to the end, that what is delivered throughout the explications in a scattered or detached state, may be brought to view in a series, and thereby may be manifested in its order, what is and what ought to be the doctrine of the church, that it may agree with good and truth in heaven.

6628. In the preceding explications it has been shown throughout, that the doctrine of charity was the doctrine which prevailed in the ancient churches, and that that doctrine conjoined all churches, and thus of several made one church; for they acknowledged as men of the church all those who lived in the good of charity, and they called them brethren, howsoever they might differ as to truths, which at this day are called the truths of faith. In these truths one instructed another, which instruction was reckoned amongst their works of charity; neither were they indignant if one did not accede to the opinion of another, knowing that every one receives truth in the degree that he is principled in good.

6629. Such being the quality of the ancient churches, the members thereof were accordingly interior men, and in consequence of being interior they were wiser; for they who are principled in the good of love and charity, are as to the internal man in heaven, and in an angelic society there which is in similar good. Hence they have an elevation of mind to interior things, and consequently they have wisdom; for wisdom cannot come from any other source than from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord; and in heaven there is wisdom, because the inhabitants thereof are principled in good.

6630. But this ancient wisdom in process of time decreased; for in proportion as the human race removed themselves from

the good of love to the Lord, and of charity towards the neighbour, in the same proportion they removed themselves also from wisdom, because in the same proportion they removed themselves from heaven; hence it is, that man from an internal man became external, and this successively.

6631. And when man became external, he became also worldly and corporeal; and when this is the case he has no longer any concern about the things of heaven; for they are se far removed that they are not believed to exist, inasmuch as in this case the delights of earthly loves take entire possession, and therewith all evils, which are delightful to him by reason of those loves; and in such case, whatsoever he hears concerning the life after death, concerning heaven, and concerning hell, is as chaff in the wind, which is blown away as soon as it is seen.

6632. Hence also it is that the doctrine of charity, which was so much esteemed amongst the ancients, is at this day amongst things that are lost; for who at this day knows what charity is in the genuine sense, and what neighbour is in the genuine sense; when yet that doctrine abounds in so many and so important arcana, that it cannot be described as to a thousandth part? The Sacred Scripture throughout is nothing else but the doctrine of love and charity; which also the Lord teaches, when he says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart, and in thy whole soul, and in thy whole mind; this is the first and great commandment: The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; from these two commandments hang the law and the prophets," Matt. xxii. 35, 36, 37, 38. The law and the prophets are the Word in all and singular things.

6633. Inasmuch as the doctrine of charity at this day is amongst things that are lost, and hence the doctrine of faith is much alienated from the truth, it is allowed, by the divine. mercy of the Lord, at the beginning of each chapter of the Book of Exodus, to deliver that doctrine, and thus to restore it to the church.

CHAPTER I.

1. AND these are the names of the sons of Israel that came to Egypt with Jacob, a man and his house came. 2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.

3. Issachar, Zebulon, and Benjamin.

4. Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

5. And all the souls that came forth from the thigh of Jacob, were seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt.

6. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

7. And the sons of Israel became fruitful, and were productive, and multiplied, and became exceeding exceedingly numerous, and the land was filled with them.

8. And a new king arose over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.

9. And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are many and numerous in comparison with us.

10. Come, let us use prudence with them; peradventure they will multiply, and it shall come to pass that wars will break out, and they will also adjoin themselves to our foes, and will fight against us; and will go up out of the land.

11. And they set over them princes of tributes, to the intent that they might afflict them with burdens; and they built cities of store-houses for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses.

12. And as they afflicted them, so they multiplied, and so they increased; and they were affected with loathing by reason of the sons of Israel.

13. And the Egyptians caused the sons of Israel to serve in rigour.

14. And they rendered their life bitter with grievous servi tude, in clay and in bricks, and in all service in the field, with all their service with which they caused them to serve in rigour.

15. And the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrews, of whom the name of the one was Shiprah, and the name of the other Puah ;

16. And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and shall see upon the stools, if it be a son, ye shall kill him and if it be a daughter, she shall live.

17. And the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt spake to them, and they kept the boys alive.

18. And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said unto them, Wherefore do ye this word, and keep alive the boys? 19. And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are living before the midwife cometh to them they have brought forth.

20. And God did well to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became exceedingly numerous.

21. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, he made them houses.

22. And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son who is born ye shall cast him into the river, and every daughter ye shall keep alive.

THE CONTENTS.

6634. THE subject treated of in this first chapter, in the
internal sense, is concerning the state of the church at its es-
tablishment, when good is the first agent, and is made fruitful
by the multiplication of the truths of faith.

6635. Afterwards concerning the infestation of those truths
by falses and evils in the natural principle; and how by that
infestation good is rendered still more fruitful by truths: the
subject is continued to the end of the chapter concerning that
infestation and its increase in the series in which it is made,
and concerning the implantation and confirmation of truths
from good thence derived.

THE INTERNAL SENSE.

6636. VERSES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And these are the names of

the sons of Israel that came to Egypt with Jacob, a man and

his house came. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar,

Zebulon, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and

Asher. And all the souls that came forth from Jacob's thigh

were seventy souls: and Joseph was in Egypt. These are the

names of the sons of Israel, signifies the quality of the church.

That came to Egypt with Jacob, signifies after the truths were

initiated in scientifics. A man and his house came, signifies as

to truth and as to good. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

Issachar, Zebulon, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad