9962. 'And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons' means safety from the hells. This is clear from the meaning of 'the undergarments', to which 'they shall be on Aaron and on his sons' refers, as the things composing the external level of conjugial love, dealt with in 9959; and from the meaning of their 'nakedness', which the undergarments were to cover, as the inner desires of that love when they are foul and hellish, also dealt with above in 9960. And since 'nakedness' had that meaning, the purpose of the undergarments which were on Aaron and his sons was to keep them safe from the hells. The implications of all this are that so far as their interiors were concerned members of the Jewish and Israelite nation were steeped in self-love and love of the world, and so in hellish kinds of love, more than all the other nations; but so far as their exteriors were concerned they could be in a state of holiness, again more than all the other nations. For that reason when they were in a state of holiness their interiors were closed off; for then through that nation outwardly holy things were communicable to the heavens, and in this way they could be linked to heaven. It would have been altogether different if their internals, which were foul and hellish, as has been stated, had not been closed off. This is why no Church existed among them, only what was representative of the Church; for a Church that is indeed a Church resides in things of an internal nature, which are those of faith and love, not in those of an external nature separated from them. The things of an external nature among them were all representative.

[2] Since then things composing the external level of conjugial love - and in general those composing the external levels of all heavenly kinds of love - are meant by 'the undergarments', and since external levels were what covered internal ones, and since the internals with that nation were foul and hellish, the declaration that the undergarments should be on Aaron and on his sons means safety from the hells. For, as long as they were in a state of outward holiness, their internals having been covered or closed off, they were also remote from the hells and consequently in safety.

Internals with the Jewish and Israelite nation were foul and hellish, therefore no Church existed among them, only a representative of the Church, see the places referred to in 9320 (end), 9380.

When engaged in worship they were in a state of solely outward holiness, 3479, 4293, 4311, 6304, 8588, 9373, 9380.

And their interiors at such times were closed off, 8788, 8806.

1150. That 'the sons of Japheth' means those who possessed external worship corresponding to internal has been stated already. It is called external worship corresponding to internal when the worship has what is essential within it. And that which is essential is adoration of the Lord from the heart, which in no sense exists unless charity, or love towards the neighbour, is present. It is in charity or love towards the neighbour that the Lord is present, in which case it is possible for Him to be adored from the heart. Thus it is from the Lord that adoration comes, for the Lord makes all adoration possible and gives it all its being. It follows therefore that as is a person's charity, so is his adoration or worship. All worship is adoration, for adoration of the Lord must be in it for it to be worship. The sons of Japheth, that is, the nations and peoples called the sons of Japheth, lived with one another in mutual charity, in friendship, in civility, and in simplicity, and consequently the Lord was present in their worship. For when the Lord is present in external worship internal worship is in that case within the external, that is, there is external worship corresponding to internal. In former times very many nations were such, and nations also exist at the present day who focus worship on external things without knowing what the internal is. And if they do know they give no thought to those matters. If those people acknowledge the Lord and love the neighbour, the Lord is in their worship and they are 'sons of Japheth'. But if they deny the Lord, love only themselves and do not care about the neighbour, worse still if they hate him, then their worship is external separated from internal, and they are 'sons of Canaan' or Canaanites.