10292. Stacte. That this signifies the affection of sensuous truth, is evident from the signification of “stacte,” as being sensuous truth; that it denotes the affection of this truth, is from its fragrance, for “odor” signifies perceptivity; a fragrant odor, the perceptivity of what is grateful; and an offensive odor, the perceptivity of what is ungrateful; and all gratefulness and ungratefulness of perception are from the affection which is of love, and according to it (see n. 925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 4748, 5621, 10054). In general be it known that all things in the vegetable kingdom, whatever they may be, whether the produce of the forest, or that of gardens, fields, and plains, such as trees, crops, flowers, grasses, and vegetables, both in general and in particular, signify spiritual and celestial things, for the reason that universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom (see at the places cited in n. 9280).

[2] That “stacte” denotes the affection of sensuous truth is because it is mentioned first; for there are four spices of which the incense was prepared, as there were also four of which the oil of anointing was prepared; and that which is mentioned in the first place is the most external, as is also that which is mentioned in the first place for the preparation of the oil of anointing, which was best myrrh (that this denotes the perception of sensuous truth, see n. 10252).

[3] That four spices were taken for the preparation of both the oil and the incense, was for the reason that they signified truths in their order from external to inmost; and they are in the same succession with man; for man has an external which is called the external man, and an internal which is called the internal man, in each of which there is an exterior and an interior; the most external is called the sensuous, and this is therefore signified by “stacte” (what the sensuous is, and its quality, see n. 9996, 10236).

[4] That “stacte” denotes the affection of sensuous truth, cannot be confirmed from other passages in the Word, because it is nowhere else mentioned; but stacte of another kind, expressed in the original tongue by another word, is mentioned among those spices which were brought down into Egypt (Genesis 37:25; 43:11), and which involve such things as are in the external or natural man, because by “Egypt” is signified the memory-knowledge that is of the natural man (see at the places cited in n. 9391).

4967. An Egyptian man. That this signifies natural truth, is evident from the signification of a “man,” as being truth (see n. 3134); and from the signification of “Egypt,” as being memory-knowledge in general, treated of just above (n. 4964, 4966); and because “Egypt” is memory-knowledge, it is also the natural; for all the memory-knowledge in man is natural, because it is in his natural man, even the memory-knowledge concerning spiritual and celestial things. The reason of this is that man sees these knowledges in the natural, and from it; and those which he does not see from the natural, he does not apprehend. But the regenerate man, who is called spiritual, and the unregenerate man, who is merely natural, see these knowledges in different ways; with the former the knowledges are enlightened by the light of heaven, but with the latter not so, but by the light which flows in through spirits who are in falsity and evil; which light is indeed from the light of heaven, but becomes in them opaque, like the light of evening or of night; for such spirits, and hence such men, see as owls-clearly at night, and obscurely in the daytime, that is, they see falsities clearly and truths obscurely; and hence see clearly the things of the world, and obscurely, if at all, the things of heaven. From these considerations it is evident that genuine memory-knowledge is natural truth; for all genuine memory-knowledge, such as is signified by “Egypt” in a good sense, is natural truth.