2913. 'And spoke to the sons of Heth, saying' means those with whom a new spiritual Church was to exist. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'Heth' and of Hittite. Many were the nations inhabiting the land of Canaan who are mentioned one by one in various places in the Word, among them the Hittites, see Genesis 15:20; Exodus 3:8, 17; 13:5; 23:23; Deuteronomy 7:1; 20:17; Joshua 3:10; 11:1, 3; 12:8; 24:11; 1 Kings 9:20; and elsewhere. Most of them belonged to the Ancient Church which was spread through many lands, including the land of Canaan, see 1238, 2385. All who belonged to that Church acknowledged charity as the chief thing, and everything they taught was about charity or life. People who cultivated teachings about faith were called Canaanites and were separate from the rest of the inhabitants in the land of Canaan, Numbers 13:29 - see 1062, 1063, 1076.

[2] The Hittites belonged among those in the land of Canaan who were more acceptable. This is also made clear by the fact that Abraham, and subsequently Isaac and Jacob, dwelt among them and had a burial-place there, and also by the fact that they treated Abraham with greatest respect, as is quite clear from what is recorded about them in this chapter, especially verses 5-6, 10-11, 14-15. Since they were an upright nation they therefore represent and mean the spiritual Church, or the truth of the Church. But it happened that like all the others who belonged to the Ancient Church the Hittites fell away in the course of time from charity or good that goes with faith; and this explains why later on they mean the falsity of the Church, as in Ezekiel 16:3, 45, and elsewhere. Yet the Hittites did belong among those who were more honourable, as may be seen from the fact that David had Hittites with him, such as Ahimelech, 1 Samuel 26:6, and Uriah, who was a Hittite, 2 Samuel 11:3, 6, 17, 21 - by whose wife Bathsheba David begot Solomon, 2 Samuel 12:24. 'Heth' means exterior cognitions that have regard to life and which constitute the external truths of the spiritual Church, ¹ see 1203.

[3] The subject in the present verse is a new Church which the Lord establishes when the previous one breathes its last, and in the verses which follow the subject is the reception of faith among those people. The subject is not some particular Church among the sons of Heth but in general the re-establishment by the Lord of a spiritual Church after its predecessor fades away and approaches its end. The sons of Heth are simply those who represent and carry a spiritual meaning. Please see what has been stated already about Churches in the following places:

In course of time a Church goes into decline and decay, 494, 501, 1327, 2422.

It departs from charity, and brings forth evils and falsities, 1834, 1835.

At that point the Church is said to be vastated and made desolate, 407-411, 2243.

The Church is established among gentiles; the reason why, 1366.

Within a Church undergoing vastation something of the Church is always preserved as a nucleus, 468, 637, 931, 2422.

If the Church did not exist in the world the human race would perish, ibid.

The Church is like the heart and lungs in that vast body, of which every member of the human race is a part, 637, 931, 2054, 2853.

The nature of the spiritual Church, 765, 2669.

Charity constitutes the Church, not faith separated from charity, 809, 916.

If all possessed charity the Church would be one even though they differ in matters of doctrine and in forms of worship, 1285, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2385.

All people on earth who belong to the Lord's Church, though they are scattered throughout the entire world, still so to speak make a single whole, as is the case in heaven, 2853.

Every Church is internal and external, and both together constitute a single Church, 409, 1083, 1098, 1100, 1242.

The external Church is valueless if there is no internal Church, 1795.

The Church is compared to the rise and the setting of the sun, to the seasons of the year, and also to the periods of the day, 1837.

The Last Judgement is the final period of the Church, 900, 931, 1850, 2117, 2118.

Note a piè di pagina:

1083. That 'Shem' means the internal Church, 'Japheth' the external Church corresponding to it, has been discussed already. Where the Church exists it must necessarily possess an internal aspect and an external; for a human being, who is the Church, is both internal and external. Before he becomes the Church, that is, before he has been regenerated, he is engrossed in things that are external. But when undergoing regeneration he is led away from external things - or rather by means of external things - towards internal, as stated and shown already. But once he has been regenerated, all things that belong to the internal man are encompassed in the things that are external. Thus every Church must necessarily be internal and external, as the Ancient Church was, and as the Christian Church is today.

[2] The internal aspects of the Ancient Church comprised all things that belong to charity and to faith deriving from charity, all humbleness, all worship of the Lord that stems from charity, every good affection towards the neighbour, and other aspects like these. The external features of that Church were sacrifices, drink-offerings, and much else, all of which, by means of representation, were directed to the Lord and had regard to Him. Consequently things of an internal nature existed within those that were external and made a single Church. The internal features of the Christian Church are just the same as the internal features of the Ancient Church, but different externals have ensued. That is to say, instead of sacrifices and the like, [the Christian Church] has sacraments which in a similar way have regard to the Lord. So in the Christian Church also things that are internal and those that are external make one.

[3] The Ancient Church did not differ in the slightest from the Christian Church as to its internal features, only as to its external. Worship of the Lord that stems from charity cannot possibly be different, no matter how much externals may vary. And since, as stated, no Church can exist unless there is that which is internal and that which is external, the internal without the external would be something unbounded if it were not encompassed by something external. For mankind is such, and indeed the vast majority, that it does not know what the internal man is, and what belongs to the internal man. Without external worship therefore, mankind would have no knowledge at all of what is holy.

[4] As long as these people have charity and consequently conscience, they have internal worship residing with them in their external worship. For the Lord residing with them is at work in charity and in conscience, and He causes all their worship to partake of what is internal. It is otherwise with people who have no charity and consequently no conscience. They are indeed able to have worship in externals, yet it is separated from internal worship, as their faith is separated from charity. Such worship is called 'Canaan' and such faith 'Ham'. And because such worship is the product of separated faith, Ham is called 'the father of Canaan'.