3162. Verses 52-54 And so it was, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he bowed down to the earth to Jehovah. And the servant brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; and he gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed the night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me to my master.

'So it was, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he bowed down to the earth to Jehovah' means the perception of joy in the natural man. 'And the servant brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments' means truth and good, and the adornment of these. 'And gave them to Rebekah' means which passed at that point to the affection for truth. 'And he gave precious things to her brother' means spiritual things passing from there to natural good. 'And to her mother' means to natural truth also. 'And they ate and drank' means making one's own the good and truth introduced in this way. 'He and the men who were with him' means the things which were in the natural man. 'And they stayed the night' means its peace. 'And they rose up in the morning' means a degree of raising up. 'And he said, Send me to my master' means the affection desiring the joining together.

3111. 'Tell me now, is there at your father's house a place for us to spend the night?' means investigation concerning the good of charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'tell me now, is there?' as investigation; from the meaning of 'house' as good, dealt with in 2048, 2233, 22331; from the meaning of 'father' here, that is to say, of Bethuel, as the good of charity, such as exists with the more upright gentiles, dealt with in 2863 - the origin itself also of the affection for truth, which Rebekah represents, existing in such good; and from the meaning of 'a place to spend the night' as a state of abiding, dealt with below in 3115.

[2] The reason why investigation concerning the origin of the affection for truth as regards innocence and as regards the good of charity is described in the internal sense is that truth which is to be introduced into and joined to good does not have its first origin in any other source, as becomes clear from all with whom truth is received and wedded to good. Inside the Church, no matter how much those who do not possess any innocence or charity towards the neighbour know the truth and confess it with their lips, they in no way acknowledge it in their hearts. And outside the Church, in the case of gentiles who are called to the truth of faith or who receive instruction in it in the next life, only those receive it who possess innocence and lead charitable lives one with another. In fact innocence and charity constitute the ground in which the seeds of truth are able to take root and spring up.