10547. And he called it the tent of meeting. That this signifies the external of worship, of the church, and of the Word, in which are internal things, is evident from the signification of “the tent of meeting,” as being the external of worship, of the church, and of the Word, in which are things internal; for by “tent” is signified what is holy of worship, of the church, and of the Word (see n. 10545), and by “meeting” is signified where internal things are, for all internal things are together in external things (n. 6451, 9216, 9828, 9836). In the sense of the letter by “meeting” is meant the meeting of the sons of Israel; but in the internal sense there is signified the meeting of the truths and goods of the church, because by the sons of Israel in a good sense are signified the truths and goods of the church in the complex (n. 5414, 5879, 5951, 7957), in like manner by the “congregation” and the “assemblage” of the sons of Israel (n. 7830, 7843). And the truths and goods of the Word, of the church, and of worship are in their own internal; for in the internal of the Word, of the church, and of worship are celestial and spiritual things; but in the external are natural and worldly things; and all celestial and spiritual things flow into natural and worldly things, and terminate in them, and form and constitute them. From this it is that what is external is signified by “meeting.” This is the case with the external sense of the Word, which is called the sense of its letter, thus also with the externals of the church and of worship, for these are from the Word.

5951. And the sons of Israel did so. That this signifies the effect from spiritual truths in the natural, is evident from the signification of “did,” as being the effect; and from the representation of the sons of Israel, as being spiritual truths in the natural (see n. 5414, 5879). What spiritual truths in the natural are, must be told. Truths of faith outside of man, spirit, or angel, are not truths of faith, for they have not been applied to any subject, in which they become such. But when they are applied to man, spirit, or angel as a subject, they then become truths of faith, but with a difference according to the states of life of each one. With those who are learning them for the first time, they are only memory-knowledges. Afterward if these persons devoutly reverence them, the truths advance further, and become truths of the church; and when they are affected with them and live according to them, they then become spiritual truths; for the good of love and of charity, which is solely from the spiritual world, then fills them and causes them to live; for to be affected with them and to live according to them is from this good. The quality of the truths that are called truths of faith, with those who live according to them, and with those who do not live according to them, has been shown me. With those who do not live according to them, they appeared like white filaments; and with those who had these truths, but nothing of good, they appeared brittle; but with those who live according to them they appeared like fibers from the brain filled with spirit, and soft. Thus these latter truths were animate, but the former were inanimate. From this it may be known that the quality of truths with men is according to the state of life of each. The truths that are represented by the sons of Jacob are truths not yet spiritual, because not yet made of the life. But the truths that are represented by them as sons of Israel are spiritual, because from having been made of the life they have been filled with the good of love and of charity. These latter truths are here meant, because the subject treated of has been the initiation to conjunction of the truths in the natural (which are the sons of Jacob) with internal good (which is Joseph), through the intermediate (which is Benjamin), and also through spiritual good (which is Israel).