1025. ‘Cum semine vestro post vos’: quod significet illos qui e novo creantur, constat a significatione ‘seminis’, tum a sequentibus; a significatione ‘seminis’: semen in sensu litterali significat posteritatem, sed in sensu interno fidem; et quia, ut saepius dictum, nulla fides est nisi ubi charitas, ita est ipsa charitas quae per ‘semen’ in sensu interno intelligitur: a sequentibus, constat quod non solum agatur de homine qui intra Ecclesiam, sed etiam de homine qui extra Ecclesiam, ita de universo genere humano; ubicumque est charitas, etiam apud gentes remotissimas ab Ecclesia, ibi est semen, nam semen caeleste est charitas nemo enim hominum aliquid boni potest facere a se, sed omne, bonum a Domino; bonum quod faciunt gentes, etiam est a Domino, de quibus ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus; quod semen De sit fides, ostensum est prius n. 255; per fidem intelligitur ibi et alibi charitas ex qua fides, nam non alia fides, quae fides, datur, quam fide: charitatis;

[2] similiter etiam alibi in Verbo ubi semen nominatur, ut ubi semen Abrahami, vel Isaci, vel Jacobi, significatur amor seu charitas ‘Abrahamus’ enim repraesentavit amorem caelestem, ‘Isacus’ amorem spiritualem, quae sunt interni hominis, ‘Jacobus’ eadem sed quae externi hominis; ita, non solum in propheticis sed etiam in historicis historica Verbi in caelo non percipiuntur sed quae per historica significantur; Verbum non solum scriptum est pro homine sed etiam pro angelis; homo cum legit Verbum, et sensum inde non alium quam litteralem capit, tunc angeli non sensum litteralem sed internum; ideae materiales, mundanae et corporeae quas homo habet cum legit Verbum, apud angelos fiunt ideae spirituales et caelestes; sicut dum homo legit de Abrahamo, Isaco et Jacobo, tunc angeli nusquam cogitant de Abrahamo, Isaco et Jacobo, sed de illis rebus quae per eos repraesentantur et sic significantur:

[3] similiter cum de Noaho, Shemo, Hamo et Japheto, has personas ignorant angeli, nec aliud percipiunt quam. Ecclesiam Antiquam, et angeli interiores ne quidem Ecclesiam, sed istius Ecclesiae fidem, et secundum seriem, statum rerum de quibus agitur: ita quoque cum in Verbo dicitur ‘semen’, ut hic de Noaho quod ‘foedus erigeretur cum illis, et cum semine illorum post illos, non posteritatem eorum percipiunt, nam Noahus nullus fuit, ita enim appellata Ecclesia Antiqua, sed per ‘semen’ intelligunt charitatem quae essentiale fidei fuit istius Ecclesiae; similiter ubi in historicis de Abrahamo, Isaco et Jacobo dicitur semen eorum, tunc nusquam intelligunt angeli posteritatem eorum propriam, sed omnes in universo: tam qui intra Ecclesiam quam qui extra, apud quos semen caeleste seu charitas est; immo angeli interiores percipiunt ipsum amorem qui semen caeleste est, abstracte:

[4] quod per ‘semen’ significetur amor: tum omnis cui est amor, constat ab his locis, ubi de Abramo, Jehovah dixit, Semini tuo dabo terram hanc, Gen. 12:7;

tum, Omnem terram, quam tu vides, tibi dabo illam, et semini tuo usque in aeternum, et ponam semen tuum sicut pulverem terrae, Gen. 13:15, 16;

qui in sensu litterae sunt, non aliud capiunt quam quod per semen intelligatur posteritas Abrami, et quod per terram, terra Canaan, eoque magis quia posteritati ejus data est ea terra; sed qui in sensu interno sunt, ut totum caelum, per ‘semen Abrami’ non aliud percipiunt quam amorem, per ‘terram Canaan’ nihil aliud quam regnum Domini in caelis et in terris; et quod ‘data iis terra’, nihil aliud quam repraesentativum; de quo, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, alibi. Similiter alibi ubi de Abramo, Jehovah eduxit eum foras, et dixit, Suspice nunc versus caelum, et numera stellas si potes numerare illas; et dixit ei, Sic erit semen tuum, Gen. 15:5;

hic similiter, ‘Abramus’ quia repraesentabat amorem seu fidem salvificam, per ‘semen ejus’ non alia posteritas in sensu interno intelligitur quam omnes in universo qui in amore sunt.

[5] Similiter, Erigam foedus Meum inter Me et inter te, et inter semen tuum post te; ... et dabo tibi et semini tuo post te terram peregrinationum tuarum, omnem terram Canaan, in possessionem aeternam; eroque illis in Deum:... hoc foedus Meum, quod custodies inter Me et inter vos, et inter semen tuum post te, circumcidi vobis omnem masculum, Gen. 17:7, 8, 10;

ubi ‘foedus erigere’ similiter significat conjunctionem Domini cum hominibus in universo per amorem, qui amor repraesentatus fuit per Abramum; inde constat quid per semen ejus significatur, nempe omnes in universo qui in amore sunt: foedus erat circumcisio de qua hic agitur, per quam nusquam caelum intelligit circumcisionem carnis, sed circumcisionem cordis, quae est eorum qui in amore sunt; circumcisio erat repraesentativum regenerationis per amorem, quod apud Mosen clare explicatur, Circumcidet Jehovah Deus cor tuum, et cor seminis tui, ad amandum Jehovam Deum tuum, toto corde tuo, et tota anima tua, propterea ut vivas, Deut. 30:6;

ex quibus constat quid circumcisio in sensu interno; quare ubicumque dicitur circumcisio, non aliud intelligitur quam amor et charitas, et inde vita.

[6] Quod per ‘semen Abrahami’ omnes in universo significentur quibus amor, constat quoque a Domini verbis ad Abrahamum et ad Isacum; ad Abrahamum, postquam sicut mandatum sacrificare voluit Isacum, Benedicendo benedicam tibi, et multiplicando multiplicabo semen tuum, sicut stellas caelorum, et sicut arenam quae super litore maris, et hereditabit semen tuum portam hostium tuorum, et benedicentur in semine tuo omnes gentes terrae, Gen. 22:17, 18;

ibi quod per ‘semen’ intelligantur omnes in universo quibus amor, constat manifeste.

[7] Sicut ‘Abrahamus’, ut dictum, repraesentavit amorem caelestem, ita ‘Isacus’ amorem spiritualem, quare per ‘semen Isaci’ non aliud significatur quam omnis homo, apud quem amor spiritualis seu charitas; de quo haec, Peregrinare in terra hac, et ero tecum, et benedicam tibi, quia tibi et semini tuo dabo omnes terras has, et confirmabo juramentum, quod juravi Abrahamo patri tuo, et multiplicari faciam semen tuum sicut stellas caelorum; et dabo semini tuo omnes terras has, et benedicentur in semine tuo omnes gentes terrae, Gen. 26:3, 4, 24;

ubi manifeste, quod omnes gentes intelligantur qui in charitate. Amor caelestis per Abrahamum repraesentatus est sicut ‘pater’ amoris spiritualis per Isacum repraesentati, nam e caelesti nascitur spirituale, ut prius ostensum.

[8] Jacobus, quia repraesentabat Ecclesiae externa quae ab internis existunt, ita omnia quae in externo homine, ab amore et charitate oriunda, quare per ‘semen ejus’ significantur omnes in universo quibus cultus externus in quo internus, et quibus opera charitatis in quibus charitas a Domino; de quo semine ad Jacobum, postquam in somnio viderat scalam, Ego Jehovah, Deus Abrahami patris tui, et Deus Isaci; terram super qua tu cubas, tibi dabo eam et semini tuo, et erit semen tuum sicut pulvis terrae; ... et benedicentur in te omnes familiae humi, et in semine tuo, Gen. 28:13, 14; 32:13; 48:4.

[9] Quod semen non aliud significet, praeter a locis Verbi prius n. 255 adductis, etiam ab his constare potest;

apud Esaiam,

Tu Israel servus Meus, Jacobus quem elegi, semen Abraham amici Mei, 41:8;

ibi agitur de regeneratione hominis; ubi Israel et Jacobus, ut multoties, distinguuntur, et per ‘Israelem’ significatur Ecclesia spiritualis interna, per ‘Jacobum’ ejusdem externa, utraque vocatur ‘semen Abrahami’, hoc est, Ecclesiae caelestis, quia caeleste, spirituale et naturale sibi succedunt:

apud Jeremiam,

Ego plantaveram te vitem praestantem totam, semen voluntatis quomodo conversa es Mihi in degeneres vitis alienae? 2:21;

ubi de Ecclesia spirituali, quae ‘vitis praestans’, cujus charitas seu fides charitatis appellatur ‘semen veritatis’:

[10] apud eundem,

Sicut non numeratur exercitus caelorum, et non mensuratur arena maris, ita multiplicabo semen Davidis servi Mei, et Levitas ministrantes Mihi, 33:22;

ubi manifeste ‘semen’ pro semine caelesti; nam per ‘Davidem’ significatur Dominus; quod semen Davidis non luit sicut exercitus caelorum qui non numeratur, nec sicut arena maris quae non mensuratur, unicuivis notum est:

apud eundem,

Ecce dies venientes, dictum Jehovae, et suscitabo avidi germen justum, et regnabit Rex, intelligenter aget, et faciet judicium et justitiam in terra: in diebus Ipsius salvabitur Jehudah, et Israel habitabit confidenter; et hoc nomen Illius quod vocabunt Illum, Jehovah justitia nostra: quare ecce dies venientes, dictum Jehovae, et non dicent amplius, vivens Jehovah, Qui ascendere fecit filios Israelis e terra Aegypti; sed vivens Jehovah, Qui ascendere fecit, et Qui deduxit semen domus Israelis e terra septentrionis, 23:5-8 ¹ ;

ibi prorsus alia significantur quam quae apparent in littera, non per ‘Davidem’ David, non per ‘Jehudam’ Judas, nec per ‘Israelem’ Israel, sed per ‘Davidem’ Dominus, per ‘Jehudam’ caeleste, per ‘Israelem’ spirituale; quare per ‘semen Israelis’ illi quibus est charitas seu fides charitatis:

[11] apud Davidem,

Timentes Jehovam, laudate Ipsum; omne semen Jacobi glorificate Ipsum; metuite ab Ipso omne semen Israelis, Ps. 22:24, 25 [KJV Ps. 22:23, 24];

ibi per ‘semen Israelis’ nec aliud semen intelligitur quam Ecclesia spiritualis:

apud Esaiam,

Stirps ejus erit semen sanctitatis, 6:13;

pro reliquiis, quae sancta, quia Domini:

apud eundem,

Educam de Jacobo semen, et ex Jehuda possessorem montium Meorum, et possidebunt illam electi Mei, et servi Mei habitabunt ibi, 65:9;

ubi de Ecclesia caelesti externa et interna:

apud eundem,

Non generabunt in perturbationem; semen benedictorum Jehovae illi, et nati illorum cum illis, 65:23;

ubi de novis caelis et nova terra, seu de regno Domini, qui ibi, ex amore generati seu regenerati, appellantur ‘semen benedictorum Jehovae’.

Poznámky pod čarou:

These three things are linked in a continuous process. The way they are used in the Lord’s Word are, in a way, like a legal contract. The covenant sets out the terms of the contract,, which the parties agree to. Reciprocation takes place as the two parties act in following the contract, and conjunction is the mutual satisfaction of the parties when the contract is fulfilled.

Our most important contract is the one between us and the Lord, because it brings us to heaven and it fulfills His end and purpose for us. The reciprocal action that we can take is played out in the struggle between our own will and our own understanding of the Lord’s law. That’s where we fight our battle with the temptations that come from hell. If we persist, we will find conjunction.

The same process - covenant, reciprocation, and conjunction - can be seen in our relationships with all other people, strangers, friends, family members, and especially spouses. It can be a very powerful process, as it was and is the process that took place between the Divine love and Divine wisdom when the Lord created the Universe.

Covenant

We will look at the term “Covenant” first, because it is the beginning of the process. The covenant is the outline of what the Lord requires of us; as he said to Abraham, “walk before me and be thou perfect”. Here, to walk means to live your life (Genesis 17:1). Later the Lord renewed His Covenant with Isaac and with Jacob, and later still with the whole of the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai. As is said in Isaiah, “… put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well…” (Isaiah 1:7-8). The basic evils are more explicitly stated in the Ten Commandments given at Mt. Sinai on the two stone tables. And just as these tables were kept in the Ark of the Covenant, in the tabernacle which was in the center of the ordered camp of the children of Israel, so should these laws be in the center of an orderly human mind.

The Word of the Lord, or the Sacred Scriptures, are the only place where we are taught about the Lord and the only place where we can learn about His laws. The more we read them, the more light can be let into our minds so that we can realize that the whole of the Word is the Covenant. The same covenant that was with Abraham is active with us right now.

(Odkazy: Apocalypse Explained 701; Arcana Coelestia 666 [1-2], 1023, 1038 [1-2], Arcana Coelestia 2084, 4197 [9], Arcana Coelestia 6804 [5-6], Arcana Coelestia 8767)

Reciprocation

The word reciprocation means a give and take, back and forth - the sharing of a conversation or elements of a common task. As used in the doctrines for the New Church it can mean the working together of an individual’s wish to do something and the learning of how to do it, or the interaction of a couple working to build a marriage, and raise a family, or of a person striving, with the Lord’s help, to regenerate.

In this context, reciprocation is the actual day to day working out of the Covenant. For example, children and parents have a long slow time as children go from total dependence on the parents to the stage when they can make decisions on their own, and much of this time requires the parents to allow children more and more choice while still being in charge. Children learn in school the give and take of getting along with contemporaries. Husbands and wives must adjust from being individuals, to being half of a couple, and how to be dependent on each other in that couplehood.

At some point with every person, when they reach adulthood, the decision comes to accept or reject any covenant they will have with God. The basic covenant spelled out to Abraham is still in power and can be adopted by anyone. Then they will start to seek out ways to apply it, to see truth, see and admit to evils in themselves and try to shun them. The work of the Lord has been going on in the children, helping them to be happy in getting along with parents and friends, but now it moves to a deeper plane. The work of the adult natural person in shunning an evil, and the Lord’s work of helping, both as part of the covenant, are the reciprocation that can lead to the Lord’s implanting of good loves in place of the shunned evil ones. This work goes on and on a little bit at a time, addressing one evil after another.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 5365 [2], 5928, 5931, Arcana Coelestia 8691, Arcana Coelestia 9200, 9604; Divine Love and Wisdom 35, 57; Divine Providence 92; True Christian Religion 371)

Conjunction

Conjunction means a joining with. We join with the Lord in the project of making ourselves into an angel. He wants this so that we can be eternally happy and useful, and He created us so that we are able to do it. We can refuse if we want to - we’re free to do that - but we should realize that if we do we will be, in the long run, unhappy.

By ourselves we can’t change our loves from evil ones to good ones. Only the Lord can do that. But we can control our actions and the thoughts that we dwell on. This is why the Ten Commandments are mostly given as negatives and not positives. If we avoid evil actions, it creates room for the Lord to work in. Eventually He can move the evils off to the sides, and wall them off, and fill the center with better loves, slowly causing us to be reborn. But it is always up to us, because we are making the choice. And it doesn’t happen in an instant; the challenges from hell go on all through our natural lives.

Ultimately, in the spiritual world we will be joined to the Lord living freely in His Heaven, doing what we love to do without barriers, because our loves are aligned with the Lord’s order. Those who have chosen not to follow his covenant are continually frustrated because they are in their own order which has never aligned with His, and they can never do all that they want.

Other terms that might be of interest are Proprium, Regeneration, and Reformation.

(Odkazy: Apocalypse Revealed 937; Arcana Coelestia 2021, 2063 [2-3], Arcana Coelestia 4525, Arcana Coelestia 8495 [3-5], 8506, 8507, 8516 [2-3], Arcana Coelestia 8725, Arcana Coelestia 10143 [3], 10729; Divine Providence 28 [2-3]; Heaven and Hell 367)