3528. Peradventure my father will feel me. That this signifies the inmost degree of perception, is evident from the signification of “feeling,” and thus of being sensible, as being the inmost and the all of perception; and from the signification of “father,” as being good, here, Divine good, because the Lord is treated of. That “to feel at” signifies the inmost and the all of perception is because all sensation has relation to the sense of touch, and this is derived and comes forth from what is perceptive; for sensation is nothing else than external perception, and perception is nothing else than internal sensation. What perception is, may be seen above (n. 104, 371, 495, 503, 521, 536, 1383-1398, 1616, 1919, 2145, 2171, 2831). Moreover all sensation and all perception, which appear so various, are referable to one common and universal sense, namely, the sense of touch; the varieties, such as taste, smell, hearing, and sight, which are external sensations, being nothing but different kinds of touch that originate from internal sensation, that is, from perception. This can be confirmed by much experience, and will of the Lord’s Divine mercy be shown in its own place. From this it is evident that in the internal sense “to feel at” signifies the inmost and the all of perception. Moreover all perception, which is internal sensation, comes forth from good, but not from truth, except from good through truth; for the Lord’s Divine life flows into good, and through good into truth, and thus produces perception. From this it can be seen what is signified by “peradventure my father will feel me,” namely, the inmost and the all of perception from good, thus from the Lord’s Divine.

2171. Abraham hastened toward the tent unto Sarah. That this signifies the Lord’s rational good conjoined with His truth, is evident from the representation of “Abraham,” and also of “Sarah,” and from the signification of a “tent,” concerning which presently. As each and all things bear relation to the subject treated of in the internal sense, so do these words bear relation to the Divine perception into which the Lord came when He was in the perception of the human. But those who do not know what perception is, cannot know either how the case is with it, still less that there exists a perception that is more and more interior, namely, natural perception, then rational perception, and finally internal perception, which is Divine, and which the Lord alone had. They who are in perception, as are the angels, know very well in which perception they are; whether in natural, in rational, or in a still more interior perception which to them is Divine. What then must have been the case with the Lord, who had a perception from the Supreme and Infinite Divine (concerning which see n. 1616, 1791), in which no angels ever are, for perception flows into them from the Lord’s Supreme or Infinite Divine through His Human Essence.

[2] The reason why the Lord’s perception is described, is that when He was in the human, it was thus made known to Him how the Divine Itself, the Divine Human, and the Holy proceeding were to be united in Him; then, how His rational was to be made Divine; and finally what was the quality of the human race-that it was to be saved by Him, that is, by the union of the Human Essence with the Divine Essence in Him; which are the subjects treated of in this chapter. On these accounts the Lord’s perception is first described, as also on account of the union itself which was to be effected.