6532. They left in the land of Goshen. That this signifies that these were in the inmost of the memory-knowledges of the church, is evident from the signification of the “land of Goshen,” as being the middle or inmost in the natural, where are the memory-knowledges of the church (see n. 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068). That the goods of innocence and charity, interior and exterior (n. 6529-6531), were in that inmost, is signified by their “leaving the little ones, the flocks, and the herds, in the land of Goshen;” for wherever things are left, there they are; thus by “they left” in the internal sense is not here signified leaving, but being there, namely, in the inmost of the memory-knowledges of the church, which is “the land of Goshen.”

6028. To show before him unto Goshen. That this signifies with respect to the midst in the natural, namely, that there was communication, is evident from the signification of “Goshen,” as being the midst (that is, the inmost) in the natural (see n. 5910). By the midst or the inmost in the natural is signified the best therein, for what is best is in the midst, that is, in the center or inmost, and round about it on all sides are goods, arranged in the heavenly form, nearer and more remote according to the gradations of goodness from the best in the midst. Such is the arrangement in order of goods in the regenerate. But with the wicked the most evil things are in the midst, and goods are relegated to the extremes, where they are continually being pushed outside. This is the form with the wicked individually, and in the hells in general. Thus it is the infernal form. From what has been said about the best in the midst and about goods being arranged in order toward the sides, it is evident what is meant by the communication of the good of the church with the internal celestial, with respect to the midst in the natural.