9966. It is a statute of an age to him and to his seed after him. That this signifies the laws of order in the representative church, is evident from the signification of “a statute of an age,” as being a law of Divine order in the heavens and in the church (see n. 7884, 7995, 8357). It is said “in the representative church,” because the external things of worship which represented internal things were called “statutes” (n. 8972), thus those things which were representatives of the church; and because the internal things which were represented were Divine, thus eternal, therefore it is said, “a statute of an age;” for by “an age” is signified what is eternal.