3377. Verses 4-5 And I will cause your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your seed all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because Abraham hearkened to My voice and practiced My observances, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

'I will cause your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven' means truths and cognitions of faith 'And I will give to your seed all these lands' means derivative Churches. 'And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed' means all with whom good is present, both inside and outside the Church. 'Because Abraham hearkened to My voice' means the union of the Lord's Divine Essence with the Human Essence by means of temptations. 'And practiced My observances, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws' means through revelations constantly coming from Himself.

1023. That 'and I, behold I am establishing My covenant' means the Lord's presence in charity becomes clear from the meaning of 'a covenant', dealt with in 666, where it was shown that 'a covenant' means regeneration, and in particular the conjunction of the Lord with a regenerate person by means of love. It was also shown there that the heavenly marriage is the actual covenant itself, and that consequently the heavenly marriage exists with every regenerate person. The nature of this marriage or covenant has also been shown already.

[2] The heavenly marriage with the member of the Most Ancient Church existed in the area of his own will, but the heavenly marriage with the member of the Ancient Church came into existence in the area of his own understanding. Actually when the will part of man's mind had become utterly corrupted, the Lord in miraculous fashion separated the area of his own understanding from that corrupted will part, and within the area of man's own understanding He formed a new will, which is conscience. Into conscience He infused charity, and into charity innocence, and in this manner joined Himself to man, or what amounts to the same, established a covenant with him.

[3] To the extent that the area of a person's own will can be separated from this understanding part the Lord is able to be present with him, that is, to join Himself or establish a covenant with him. Temptations and similar means of regeneration render inactive the area of a person's own will, so that it is reduced to nothing and so to speak dies. To the extent that this happens the Lord can operate within charity by means of conscience implanted in the area of a person's own understanding. This is what is called 'a covenant' here.