28. In the work itself, named THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, it has been shown that by the two trees, the one of "life" and the other of the "knowledge of good and evil," being placed in the garden of Eden, is signified that free-determination in spiritual things was given to man (n. 466-469); to which must be added that without such free-determination man would not be a man, but only a figure and semblance; for his thought would be without reflection, consequently without judgment, and thus in Divine things, which are the things of the Church, he would have no more power of turning himself, than a door without a hinge, or, with a hinge, bolted with a steel bar; and his will would be without decision, consequently no more active with respect to justice or injustice than a tombstone, beneath which lies a dead body. That man's life after death, and the immortality of his soul, is owing to the gift of this free-determination, and that this is the "likeness of God," has been proved in the work itself-as also above.

[2] Yea, man, that is, his mind, without this would be like a sponge which imbibes water in great abundance but is not able to discharge it, in consequence of which both would decompose,-the water into foulness, and the sponge into slime. Consequently, the Church with such a person would not be a Church, and thus a temple wherein the worship of God is performed; it would be like the den of some wild beast under the root of a lofty tree which sways to and fro overhead; except, only, that it would be able to take something therefrom, and apply itself to some other use than lying in tranquillity under it. Moreover, without free-determination in spiritual things, man would be blinder in all and each of the things of the Church, than a bird of night in the light of day, but more sharp-sighted than such a bird in the darkness of night; for with his eyelids he would close his eyes, and dim their sight to the truths of faith, but would raise his eyelids, open his eyes, and expand their sight like an eagle, to the falsities of faith. Free-determination in spiritual things arises from man walking, and living his life in the midst between heaven and hell; from heaven operating into him from above, and hell from beneath; and from the option given to man of turning himself either to higher or to lower things, thus either to the Lord or to the Devil.

5275. 'Behold, seven years are coming' means a state of providence. This is clear from the meaning of 'years' as states, dealt with in 487, 488, 493, 893; and from the meaning of 'coming' as an act of providence. For 'coming' and being done, when used in reference to the Divine, or to that which God does, means what happens providentially and is therefore an act of providence; for providence is meant by that done by God, see above in 5264, 5273. Regarding the seven years of abundance of corn and the seven years of famine that are the subject in what follows, where 'years' means states, 'the years of abundance of corn' are states when truth is multiplied in the natural, and 'the years of famine' are states when there is an absence and deprivation of truth in the natural. In general the seven years of abundance of corn and the seven years of famine in the land of Egypt describe in the internal sense the state when a person is reformed and regenerated, and in the highest sense the state when the Lord's Human was glorified. To represent these things was why such events took place in the land of Egypt. The reason that land was the one where they took place is that in the internal sense 'the land of Egypt' and 'Pharaoh' mean the natural, the glorification of which within the Lord is the subject here.

[2] It should be recognized that the events which took place at that time and have been recorded in the Word were representative in the highest sense of the Lord Himself and of the glorification of His Human, and in the representative sense of His kingdom, and consequently of the Church at a corporate level and also of the Church at an individual level. They were accordingly representative of a person's regeneration, for regeneration is the means by which a person becomes a Church at the individual level. The representation of such things by the events happening at that time was primarily for the sake of the Word - so that this could be written and thus be a Word that would contain the kinds of matters that would represent Divine, celestial, and spiritual realities in a continuous line of thought, and so would be of service not only to the member of the Church but also to the angels in heaven. From those representative descriptions angels perceive Divine realities and are thereby filled with holy feelings which are communicated to the person who reads the Word with affection; for he too receives a feeling of holiness. This is the reason why such events took place in the land of Egypt.