5619. “带下去送给那人作礼物” 表获得青睐. 这从 “送给那人作礼物” 的含义清楚可知, “送给那人作礼物” (“那人” 是约瑟, 约瑟被称为那地的主人), 是指获得青睐. 古代代表性教会, 因而犹太教会有一个习俗: 当人们去见审判官, 后来去见国王或祭司时, 会送给他们一个礼物; 事实上, 人们被吩咐如此行. 这种习俗的原因是, 他们所送的礼物代表当靠近主时, 诸如人里面应献给主的那类事物. 这些礼物是人自由献出的, 因而是真正出于他自己的礼物. 因为他的自由就在于发自他内心的东西; 发自他内心的, 来自他的意愿; 来自意愿的, 来自属于爱的情感; 来自属于爱的情感的, 就是他的自由, 因而是真正属于这个人自己的东西 (参看1947, 2870-2893, 3158节). 这就是人在靠近主时要送礼物给主的由来. 上述礼物就代表这种礼物, 因为 “王” 代表神性真理方面的主 (1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044节), 而 “祭司” 代表神性良善方面的主 (1728, 2015, 3670节). 这些礼物还起到引见的作用 (参看4262节); 引见是为了获得青睐.

10286. 'The man who makes an ointment like it' means imitations of Divine things produced by [human] cunning. This is clear from the meaning of 'making that which is like it' as imitating it; and from the meaning of 'ointment' as Divine Truths which are the Lord's alone and come from the Lord alone, dealt with above in 10264. The reason why imitations produced by [human] cunning is meant is that all imitation of Divine things by a person is a product of that cunning. The nature of all this may be recognized from what has been stated and shown above in 10284; but further light may be shed on it by certain things that go on among spirits. Those of them who attribute everything to fortune and their own prudence and nothing to the Divine, as they did in the world, know how to employ various methods to imitate Divine things. They can produce palaces almost like those in the heavens; they can produce views containing plantations of trees and open countryside very similar to those the Lord provides for good spirits; they can adorn themselves with brilliant garments, indeed sirens can make themselves appear in almost angelic beauty. But all this is the product of a cunning that involves the use of delusions. Yet all those things which they can do, however much they may seem to outward appearance to be similar, are inwardly foul. This is also revealed instantly by the Lord to good spirits, for unless it were revealed they would be led astray. The outward appearance is taken away, and when this has been taken away the devilish interior is exposed. It is taken away by the shedding of light from heaven, which disperses the feeble light that accompanies delusions and that those spirits rely on to produce such imitations. From all this one may recognize what the imitation of Divine things that is a product of [human] cunning is like. But things done in reliance on the Lord are inwardly heavenly; and the more interior they are, the more heavenly they are; for Divine things increase in perfection the more and more internal they are, so much so that finally they possess perfection and beauty that are beyond description.

[2] The situation is similar with the imitation of what is good and true by those who lead an evil life. Those of them who know how to make a pretence of good affections and of some form of charity towards the neighbour and love to God, and together with those affections talk about and proclaim the truths of faith seemingly from the heart, dwell in a similar feeble and delusive light. When therefore the outward appearance which makes a pretence of those inner things is taken away, the hellish nature lying within, which is nothing but evil and the falsity of evil, is revealed. And at the same time the fact that such evil constitutes their love, and the falsity of that evil their faith, is in like manner presented to view. From all this it is again evident what imitating Divine things by means of human endeavour is, dealt with above in 10284.