1156. “以利沙, 他施, 基提, 多单” 是指众多具有这类敬拜的民族, 也表源于雅完所具有的外在敬拜的众多教义, 也就是仪式. 这从以下先知书的经文清楚看出来, 论到以利沙, 以西结书上说:

你的篷帆是用埃及绣花细麻布做的, 可以作你的大旗; 你的凉棚是用以利沙岛的蓝色, 紫色布做的. (以西结书 27:7)

这论及推罗, 推罗表拥有属天和属灵的仪式, 或认知的人. “用埃及绣花做的” 表知识, 因而表代表属灵事物的仪式. “以利沙岛的蓝色, 紫色布” 表与内在敬拜相应的仪式, 因而表属天事物的代表物. 此处这些话具有正面意义. 论到 “他施”, 以赛亚书上说:

我差遣他们当中的幸存者到列国去, 就是到他施, 普勒, 拉弓的路德和土巴, 雅完, 并辽远的海岛. (以赛亚书 66:19)

同一先知书:

他施的船只都要哀号, 因为推罗变为荒场, 甚至没有房屋可入. 这消息是从基提地得来的. (以赛亚书 23:1, 14)

其它地方也提到了他施 (以赛亚书 40:9; 耶利米书 10:9; 以西结书 27:12; 诗篇 48:7), 在那里, 它表仪式, 即教义.

论到基提, 耶利米书上说:

你们且过到基提海岛去察看, 打发人往基达去留心查考, 看曾有这样的事没有? (耶利米书 2:10)

以赛亚书:

他又说, 受欺压西顿的处女哪, 你必不得再欢乐. 起来! 过到基提去, 就是在那里也不得安歇. (以赛亚书 23:12)

此处 “基提” 表仪式. 以西结书:

用巴珊的橡树作你的桨, 用象牙镶嵌基提海岛的黄杨木作舱板. (以西结书 27:6)

这论及推罗. “基提海岛的舱板” 表敬拜的外在表现, 因而表仪式, 它们属于属天事物的分枝. 摩西书:

必有人乘船从基提界而来, 苦害亚述, 苦害希伯. (民数记 24:24)

此处, “基提” 也表外在敬拜, 或仪式. 由此清楚可知, 从内义上说, 所有这些名字都表真实的事物, 这些真实事物具有自己的秩序.

492. "Clothed in sackcloth." This symbolizes the grief experienced meanwhile over the truth's not being accepted.

Being clothed in sackcloth symbolizes grief over the destruction of truth in the church, for garments symbolize truths (nos. 166, 212, 328, 378, 379). Consequently to be clothed in sackcloth, which is not a garment, symbolizes grief over the lack of truth, and where there is no truth, there is no church.

The children of Israel represented grief in various ways, which, because of their correspondence, were symbolic. For example, they would put ash on their heads, roll around in the dust, sit on the ground for a long time in silence, shave themselves, beat their breasts and wail, rend their garments, and also clothe themselves in sackcloth, and so on. Each action symbolized some evil in the church among them for which they were being punished. Then, when they were being punished, they put on a representation of repentance in these ways, and because of their representation of repentance, and at the same time then of their humbling themselves, they were heard.

[2] That putting on sackcloth represented grief over the destruction of truth in the church may be seen from the following passages:

The lion has come up from his thicket... He has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate... For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament, wail. (Jeremiah 4:7-8)

O daughter of my people, gird yourself in sackcloth and roll about in ashes! ...For the destroyer will suddenly come upon us. (Jeremiah 6:26)

Woe to you, Chorazin (and) Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented... in sackcloth and ashes. (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13)

After the king of Nineveh heard the words of Jonah, he "laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes." Moreover, he proclaimed a fast and ordered that "man and beast be covered with sackcloth." (Jonah 3:5-8)

And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 3:24; 15:2-3; 22:12; 37:1-2; 50:3; Jeremiah 48:37-38; 49:3; Lamentations 2:10; Ezekiel 7:17-18; 27:31; Daniel 9:3; Joel 1:8, 13; Amos 8:10; Job 16:15-16; Psalms 30:11; Psalms 35:13; 69:10-11; 2 Samuel 3:31; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 6:30; 19:1-2.