Arcana Coelestia # 403
403. From these quotations it is clear what 'a city' means. But because everything is put together as history, what else can people who are confined to the sense of the letter see than the idea that Cain built a city and called it Enoch? Yet even they from the sense of the letter must suppose that the earth was already populated, notwithstanding what is said about Cain being Adam' s firstborn. The historical sequence of events implies this. But as stated already, it was the custom among the most ancient people to convert all things into representative types and then arrange them as history. And to them this was something supremely delightful. When they did this everything they saw was seemingly alive.
James 2:22-26
22
You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;
23
and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness;" and he was called the friend of God.
24
You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.
25
In the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?
26
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
