372. Hoeder zijn, betekent dienen, zoals de hoeders van de poort, en de hoeders van de drempel in de Joodse Kerk; het geloof heet de hoeder van de naastenliefde, omdat het dienen zal; maar volgens de beginselen van deze leer, zou het geloof heersen, zoals bij vers 7 werd gezegd.

2145. 'He was sitting at the tent door' means the holiness which existed with Him at that time, namely the holiness of love, which is meant by 'as the day was getting warmer', dealt with in what follows next. This is clear from the meaning of 'a tent' as holiness, dealt with in 414, 1102, 1566. And for the reason why 'tents' meant forms of holiness, see the same paragraphs. Since the Lord at this time had the perception meant by the oak-groves of Mamre, which is a lower rational perception, yet more interior than that meant by the oak-grove of Moreh, dealt with in 1442, 1443, it is here represented and so is meant by his sitting at the tent door, that is, at the entrance to holiness. As regards perceptions being more interior or less interior, this may be illustrated from the perceptions which the most ancient people had. From these people I have heard that the more they were immersed in mere facts acquired from the objects of hearing and sight the lower their perceptions became; but the more they were raised up from them towards the celestial things of charity and love the more interior these perceptions became, as they were then closer to the Lord.

495. How the Most Ancient Church declined does not become clear unless it is known what perception is, for it was a Church gifted with perceptivity, such as does not exist nowadays. The perception of that Church consists in their perceiving from the Lord what good and truth are, as angels do It is not so much a perception of the good and truth of civil society, but the good and truth deriving from love to the Lord and faith in Him. It is a person's profession of faith, a profession confirmed by his life, that makes clear the nature of perception and whether it exists at all.