1153. “歌篾的儿子” 也表那些具有外在敬拜的人, 不过, 这外在敬拜源于歌篾这个民族所具有的敬拜. 这从前面有关 “儿子” 含义的阐述和说明可推知, 还从歌篾是那些具有与内在相应的外在敬拜的民族之一的事实推知. 前一节提到了七个具有这类敬拜的民族, 而这里又提到了七个民族, 称作 “歌篾的儿子” 和 “雅完的儿子”. 但没有说明他们之间的具体差别, 只是在此提了一下他们的名字. 然而, 在先知书中, 凡具体论述教会的某种敬拜的地方, 就会区分这些差别. 一般来说, 外在敬拜, 以及内在敬拜的一切多样性, 都取决于存于敬拜中的对主的爱慕; 而这爱慕又取决于对主之爱和对邻之爱. 因为主存在于爱中, 由此存在于敬拜中, 故此处提及的这些民族当中敬拜的差别取决于主临在于里面的性质.

为了更清楚地解释敬拜的种类如何不同, 以及它们如何存在于古教会的各个民族中, 当知道, 一切真敬拜在于对主的爱慕. 对主的爱慕则在于谦卑; 谦卑在于人承认自己没有活物和善物, 他里面的一切都是死的, 甚至如死尸一般; 谦卑还在于承认一切活的, 善的皆出于主. 人越发自内心, 而非口头上承认这些事, 他就越谦卑; 因而越爱慕, 即具有真敬拜, 并且越具有爱与仁, 因而越幸福. 一个在另一个里面, 从而结合起来, 以至于不可分割. 由此明显可知敬拜的这些差别及其性质分别是什么.

此处提及的叫做 “歌篾和雅完的儿子” 之人是那些也具有与内在相应的外在敬拜之人, 不过, 他们距离前一节所提到的那些人稍微远一些. 由于这个原因, 他们被称为 “儿子”. 代代下降或衍生在此是指从内在趋向于外在. 人越变得感官化, 他的敬拜就越外在, 因而距离对主的真敬拜就越遥远. 因为它越关注这个世界, 肉体和尘世, 就越不关注灵, 因而就越遥远. 这些叫做 “歌篾和雅完的儿子” 之人由于变得越来越感官化, 因而越发使敬拜专注于外在事物, 比他们所谓的父母和亲属更甚. 所以, 他们在此组成第二类.

8991. 'And he shall serve him forever' means into eternity. This is clear from the meaning of 'serving' as obeying, for slaves are those who obey and masters those who give orders (the fact that those represented by 'slaves' are those who did what was good from obedience, not from charitable affection, is clear from things stated previously); and from the meaning of 'forever' as into eternity. In the sense of the letter 'forever' here means servitude with his master to the end of his life; but in the internal or spiritual sense it means into eternity, because it refers to the state after death. The expression 'into eternity' is used because those who do what is good from faithful obedience and not from charitable affection, who were represented by 'slaves', cannot ever be brought in the next life to a state of good, that is, so that their actions spring from good; for everyone's life remains with them after death. What a person is like when he dies, so he continues to be, in keeping with the common saying, Where the tree falls, there it lies. Not that he continues to be what he is like around the time of death but what the whole course of his life has made him like when he dies. Therefore those who have learned during life in the world to do what is good solely from obedience, not from charity, remain the same into eternity. They are perfected in obedience, it is true, but they do not attain any degree of charity.