9133. 'If the theft is certainly found in his hand' means if any truth or good is left by means of which restoration can be made. This is clear from the meaning of 'certainly being found' - when it refers to good or truth that has been taken away, meant by 'the theft' - as being left; from the meaning of 'in his hand' as in his power ('hand' means power, see 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518, 7673, 8050, 8153, 8281; and the fact that 'in his hand' also means what resides with him will be seen below); and from the meaning of 'the theft' as the good or truth that has been taken away, dealt with in 9125. From all this it is evident that 'if the theft is certainly found in his hand' means if any good or truth is left. The reason why by means of which restoration can be made is also meant is that restoration for the good or truth that has been taken away is the subject in the present verse. The situation is that when a general affection for good remains there is always something left by means of which restoration can be made to replace some particular form of good that has been taken away; for it is on the general form of good that particular forms of it and particular truths depend, see

920, 1040, 1316, 4269, 4325 (end), 4329, 4345, 4383, 5208, 6115, 7131. The reason why 'in his hand' is whatever resides with him is that 'the hand' means power, and whatever is within a person's power resides with him, and what is not in his power does not reside with him. This also is the reason why 'hand', especially 'right hand', is used to mean the person himself. From all this one may see what is meant by 'sitting on the right hand of the Father' when said of the Lord, that He is everything residing with the Father, and so is the Father Himself. The same thing is meant in the Lord's teaching in John 14:8-11; 17:10-11, about His being in the Father, and the Father in Him, and about all things that are His being the Father's, and all that are the Father's being His.

4383. 'And at the walking-pace of the children' means as determined by the truths situated within. This is clear from the meaning of 'children' or sons as truths, dealt with a number of times above. The truths situated within are truths present within the things that are general. Actually these general things are those which have been compared above, in 4378, to the egg, for general things contain particular ones, and the particular contain specific ones, 4325 (end), 4329, 4345. In the first state - that of infancy - the particular are present within in potentiality, and the specific within these. But later on they come forth and display themselves in action, thus successively. This is the way in which people who are being regenerated are led by the Lord, for they are endowed with general things having within them those which follow later, which also come forth successively, doing so in an order and sequence beyond description. For every single thing is foreseen by the Lord, even as its nature will be for evermore. For this reason no other general truths are joined to good with one who is being regenerated except those that can have particular truths inserted into them, and specific truths within the particular.

[2] Nevertheless these particular truths, and indeed the specific ones that go with these, are themselves entirely general when considered in relation to even further truths that exist; for specific truths include an incalculable number of individual ones. Although their wisdom in contrast to man's is so great that the things which they know and perceive are indescribable, angels nevertheless confess that, compared with what is above their knowledge, the truths they know are very general, while those which they do not know are limitless. They do not dare to call them infinite since finite and infinite are completely different from each other and cannot be measured one against the other. From this one can also deduce the nature of the Word. Being Divine the Word contains within itself things that are infinite which come from its first source, and as a consequence contains things beyond description such as constitute angelic wisdom; but in its lowest form it contains only such things as those that man is able to grasp.