435. As regards 'the man and his wife' here being used to mean the new Church which earlier on was meant by 'Adah and Zillah', this nobody can know or deduce from the sense of the letter, for previously 'the man (homo) and his wife' meant the Most Ancient Church and its descendants. The point is clear however from the internal sense, and also from the fact that a little further on, in verses 3-4 of the next chapter, reference is again made, though the wording is entirely different, to the man and his wife begetting Seth. At that point the first generation of the descendants of the Most Ancient Church is meant. Unless something different were meant at this point there would be no need to say the same thing again. A parallel to this exists in Chapter 1, where the subject is the creation of man, and also of the fruits of the earth, and of beasts; followed by Chapter 2, where similar events are described, the reason for the similarity being, as has been stated, that Chapter 1 deals with the creation of the spiritual man, Chapter 2 with the creation of the celestial man. When this kind of repetition of one and the same person or thing occurs, something different is meant on the first occasion from the second. But the exact meaning cannot possibly be known except from the internal sense. The actual train of thought in like manner establishes the meaning here. And there is the added consideration that 'man and wife' is a general expression meaning that Church, which is the subject here and from which the new Church was born.

9981. That good ought not to be done for the sake of reward is the Lord's own teaching, in Luke,

If you love those who love you, what thanks do you have? If you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you have? For sinners do the same. Rather, love your enemies and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing; then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Highest. Luke 6:32-35.

That no good deed performed by a person, if it is to be truly good, commences in himself, only in the Lord, is likewise the Lord's teaching, in John,

Man cannot receive anything unless it is given him from heaven. John 3:27.

And elsewhere,

Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5.