3267. In their names, according to their births. That this signifies interior qualities according to the derivations of faith, is evident from the signification of “name,” as being quality, or from the signification of “names,” as being qualities (n. 3266), in this case interior qualities, because it is said, “these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, in their names,” where “names” in the first place denote general qualities, and in the second place the qualities which are within the former, or which are interior in respect to those general qualities; and also because these qualities are according to the derivations of faith which are signified by “according to their births.” (That “births” signify the derivations of faith, thus of the church, may be seen above, n. 1145, 1255, 1330, 3263.)

[2] With the Lord’s spiritual church the case is this: It is scattered throughout the whole world, and everywhere varies as to articles of belief, or the truths of faith; and these varieties are the derivations which are signified by the “births,” and which come forth both at one and the same time and also one after another. It is the very same with the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in the heavens, in which there is variety as to the things of faith, and this to such a degree that there is not one society, nor even one person in a society, that in the things of the truth of faith has an idea altogether in agreement with the ideas of others (n. 3241) but nevertheless the Lord’s spiritual kingdom in the heavens is a one; the reason of which is that with all there charity is the principal thing; for charity makes the spiritual church, and not faith, unless you call charity faith.

[3] He who is in charity loves his neighbor, and when the neighbor differs from him in matters of belief, he excuses it provided that his neighbor lives in good and truth. He also does not condemn the well-disposed Gentiles, although they are ignorant of the Lord, and do not know anything of the faith. For he who is in charity, that is, who lives in good, receives from the Lord truths of such a quality as agree with his good, and Gentiles receive such truths as in the other life may be bent into truths of faith (n. 2599-2603). But he who is not in charity, that is, who does not live in good, can never receive any truth; he may indeed know truth, but it is not implanted in his life; thus he may indeed have it in his mouth, but not in his heart. For truth cannot be conjoined with evil, and therefore those who know the truths which are called the articles of belief, and do not live in charity or in good, although they are in the church because born in it, are yet not of the church, for there is nothing of the church in them, that is nothing of good with which truth may be conjoined.

1330. These are the births of Shem. That this signifies the derivations of the Second Ancient Church, is evident from the signification of “births,” as being the origin and derivation of doctrinal things and of worships (as before said, n. 1145). Here, and elsewhere in the Word, the “births” are no other than those of the church, that is, of doctrinal things and of worships. The internal sense of the Word enfolds nothing else; and therefore when any church is born, it is said that “these are its births,” as for instance when the Most Ancient Church was born: “These are the births of the heavens and of the earth” (Genesis 2:4); and in like manner with the other churches which followed, before the flood: “This is the book of the births” (Genesis 5:1). In like manner with the churches after the flood, which were three-the First called Noah, the Second named from Eber, the Third from Jacob, and afterwards from Judah and Israel. When the First of these churches is described, the record begins in a similar manner: “These are the births of the sons of Noah” (verse 1 of the preceding chapter). So with this Second church, named from Eber, in this verse: “These are the births of Shem.” And with the Third also, in the twenty-seventh verse of this chapter: “These are the births of Terah.” So that “births” signify nothing else than the origins and derivations of the doctrinal things and of the worships of the church that is being described. The reason why the births of this Second church are derived from Shem, or why its beginning is described by “Shem,” is that “Shem” signifies internal worship, here, the internal worship of this church. Not that the internal worship of this church was such internal worship as that which was signified by “Shem” in the preceding chapter; but merely that it is the internal worship of the church.