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1 Mose 24:17

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17 Da lief ihr der Knecht entgegen und sprach: Laß mich ein wenig Wassers aus deinem Kruge trinken.

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Arcana Coelestia # 3167

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3167. 'And to [her] mother' means to natural truth also, that is to say, spiritual things passed from the rational to it, even as they passed to natural good, dealt with just above. This is clear from the meaning of 'a mother' as the Church, which by virtue of truth is called 'a mother', dealt with in 289, 2717. So that people may know how spiritual things pass to natural good and to natural truth as a result of truth being introduced into good in the rational, a brief description must be given here. Everyone has an internal and an external, his internal being called the internal man, and his external the external man. But few know what the internal man is and what the external. The internal man is one and the same as the spiritual man, and the external man one and the same as the natural man. The spiritual man depends for understanding and wisdom on things that belong to the light of heaven, whereas the natural depends for its understanding and wisdom on things that belong to the light of the world. Regarding those two kinds of light, see 3138. For in heaven none but spiritual things exist, whereas in the world none but natural exist. The human being was created in such a way that in him spiritual things and natural things, that is, his spiritual man and his natural man, should accord with each other or make one. But in that case the spiritual man ought to have control over the things in the natural, and the natural man ought to obey, like a servant his master.

[2] Through the Fall however the natural man started to raise itself above the spiritual man and so turn Divine order itself upside down. As a consequence the natural man separated itself from the spiritual, and spiritual things could not reach it any longer except so to speak through chinks to provide the ability to think and speak. But so that spiritual things might flow in once more into the natural man this had to be regenerated by the Lord, that is, truth from the natural man had to be introduced and joined to good in the rational. When this happens spiritual things have access to the natural man, for now the light of heaven flows in and illuminates things in the natural man, and causes what is there to receive light. The goods there receive the warmth that the light conveys, which is love and charity, whereas the truth receives rays of light, which is faith. It is in this way that spiritual things pass from the rational into natural good and truth. Natural good in that case consists in all the delight and satisfaction gained from having service to the spiritual man as the end in view, and so service to the neighbour, more so to one's country, more so still to the Lord's kingdom, and above all to the Lord. And natural truth consists in all doctrinal teaching and factual knowledge which have wisdom, that is, the performance of those things, as the end in view.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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Arcana Coelestia # 7719

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7719. 'And all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings' means that those belonging to the spiritual Church had enlightenment throughout their mind. This is clear from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223; from the meaning of 'light' as enlightenment, for light flowing from the Lord enlightens the understanding since that light holds intelligence and wisdom within it, see 1521, 1524, 1619-1632, 2776, 3138, 3167, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3123, 3339, 3636, 3643, 3997, 4302, 4408, from the meaning of 'dwellings' as parts of the mind. For 'house' means the human mind, 3538, 4973, 5023, 7353, and 'rooms' its inner parts, 7353; but 'dwellings' means all the parts of the mind. Furthermore 'dwelling in' means in the internal sense living, 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 60511 and therefore 'dwellings' are parts in which the elements of life reside, namely aspects of intelligence and wisdom, which - as is well known - belong to the mind. Also, in the next life, the exact nature of the light shining in angels' dwellings or habitations is determined by the intelligence and wisdom present in the angels' minds. And in the same measure that they have light, those who are their opposites, that is, those who engage in molestation, have thick darkness.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.