6047. And it may be that Pharaoh will call you. That this signifies, if the natural in which are the memory-knowledges of the church wills to be conjoined, is evident from the signification of “to call to himself,” as being to will to be conjoined; for to call to himself from the affection that they should dwell in his land and become one nation with his own, is to will to be conjoined; and from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the natural in which are the memory-knowledges of the church (as above, n. 6042). By Pharaoh’s calling is signified what is reciprocal of initiation and conjunction, namely, of the memory-knowledges of the church with truths and goods in the natural; for all conjunction needs reciprocity, whereby there is consent on both sides.

[2] The conjunction of the truths of the church with its memory-knowledges is here treated of, but it is necessary to know in what manner they are to be conjoined. For indeed the start must not be made from memory-knowledges, and through these an entrance be made into the truths of faith, because the memory-knowledges with a man are derived from things of sense, thus from the world, from which spring innumerable fallacies. But the start must be made from truths of faith, in this way. First there must be learned the doctrinal things of the church, and then the Word must be examined to see whether these are true; for they are not true because the heads of the church have said so and their followers confirm it, because in this way the doctrinal things of all churches and religions would have to be called true, merely because they exist in the country, and men hold them from their birth; and in this wise not only would the doctrinal things of Papists and also of Quakers be true, but also those of Jews and even of Mohammedans, because their leaders have said so and their followers confirm it. This shows that the Word must be searched, and there it must be seen whether the doctrinal things are true. When this is done from the affection of truth, then the man is enlightened by the Lord so as to perceive, without knowing whence, what is true; and he is confirmed therein in accordance with the good in which he is. If these truths disagree with the doctrinal things, let him take heed not to disturb the church.

[3] Afterward, when he has been confirmed, and is thus in the affirmative from the Word that the doctrinal things are truths of faith, it is then allowable for him to confirm them by all the memory-knowledges he possesses, of whatsoever name and nature; for then, because what is affirmative reigns universally, he accepts the memory-knowledges which agree, and rejects those which by reason of the fallacies they contain disagree; for faith is strengthened by means of memory-knowledges; and therefore no one is forbidden to search the Scriptures from the affection of knowing whether the doctrinal things of the church within which he was born, are true; for in no other way can he be enlightened. After doing this no one is forbidden to fortify himself by means of memory-knowledges; but he may not do so before. This is the way and the only way of conjoining the truths of faith with memory-knowledges; not only with the memory-knowledges of the church, but also with any memory-knowledges whatever. Yet very few at this day proceed in this way; for most persons who read the Word do not read it from the affection of truth, but from the affection of confirming therefrom the doctrinal things of the church within which they were born, no matter what these may be.

[4] In the Word there is described the Lord’s kingdom, in that the spiritual, the rational, and memory-knowledge are therein conjoined together; but this is described by names which signify these; namely, by “Israel,” “Assyria,” and “Egypt.” By “Israel” is described the spiritual, by “Assyria” the rational, and by “Egypt” memory-knowledge, in these words of Isaiah:

In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar near the border thereof to Jehovah. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness thereof to Jehovah Zebaoth in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto Jehovah because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a savior, and a prince, and he shall deliver them. And Jehovah shall become known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day, and shall offer sacrifice and meat offering, and shall vow a vow to Jehovah, and shall perform it. In that day there shall be a path from Egypt unto Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt shall serve Assyria. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land; which Jehovah Zebaoth shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:19-25).

[5] Everyone can see that Egypt is not meant here, nor Assyria, nor yet Israel, but something else by each of them. (That by “Israel” is meant the spiritual of the church, has already been shown, n. 3654, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833; and by “Assyria,” the rational, n. 119, 1186; and by “Egypt,” memory-knowledges, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 6004, 6015.) These three conjoined together in the man of the church are described in the prophet by the words, “there shall be a path from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt shall serve Assyria; in that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land.” For in order that a man may be a man of the church, it is necessary for him to be spiritual, and also rational, with memory-knowledge subservient to these. From all this it is now evident that memory-knowledge is by no means to be rejected from the truths of faith, but that it is to be conjoined with them; but by the prior way, that is, by the way from faith; and not by the posterior way, that is, by the way from memory-knowledges. (See also what has been already shown, n. 128-130, 195, 196, 232, 233, 1226, 1911, 2568, 2588, 4156, 4760, 5510, 5700)

5700. And for the Egyptians, who did eat with him, alone. That this signifies the separation of the memory-knowledges which are in inverted order, is evident from the representation of the Egyptians, as being memory-knowledges that are in inverted order (of which hereafter); and from the signification of “who did eat with him alone,” as being separation (as just above, n. 5699). By the Egyptians “who did eat with him” are meant the Egyptians who ate at Joseph’s house; that they did not eat with Joseph is plain, because they ate alone. By “Egypt” or the “Egyptians” in a good sense are signified the memory-knowledges of the church (see n. 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966); but in the opposite sense are signified the memory-knowledges which are in inverted order, thus which are contrary to the truths of the church (n. 1164, 1165, 1186). In this sense “Egypt” is mentioned in many passages of the Word. That “Egypt” signifies these memory-knowledges, is because the memory-knowledges of the Ancient Church, which were representative and significative of celestial and spiritual things, and which were cultivated among the Egyptians more than among others, were turned by them into magic; whereby they completely inverted the memory-knowledges of the representative church.

[2] Memory-knowledges are said to be in inverted order when men abuse heavenly order to do evil; for heavenly order is that good be done to all. Hence it comes to pass that when they have thus inverted heavenly order, they at last deny Divine things, the things of heaven, and consequently those of charity and faith. They who become such know how to reason acutely and skillfully from memory-knowledges, because they reason from the senses, and to reason from these is to reason from such things as are external, that is, from such as are of the body and the world, which take direct hold of man’s senses and feelings. Unless such things have been illumined by the light of heaven, and thereby arranged in an entirely different order, they put the man in so great an obscurity as to heavenly things that he not only comprehends none of them, but even wholly denies, and at last rejects them, and then as far as he may, blasphemes them. When memory-knowledges are in order, they are arranged by the Lord in the form of heaven; but when they are in inverted order, they are arranged in the form of hell, and then things most false are in the midst, and those which confirm them are at the sides, while truths are without, and because they are without they can have no communication with heaven where truths reign; and therefore interior things are closed to such persons; for heaven is open by means of things interior.