8985. And if saying the servant shall say. That this signifies thought then from the implanted truth, is evident from the signification of “saying,” as being thought (see n. 7094, 7107, 7244); and from the signification of “manservant,” as being truth without the corresponding good (n. 8974); here, this truth confirmed and implanted, because it is said of that servant when he was about to go forth (n. 8984). It is said that “manservant” denotes truth, but there is meant the man who is in truth without the corresponding good. The reason why truth is called a “manservant,” and not the man who is in such truth, is that abstract speech, that is, speech separate from man, is angelic speech. For in heaven they think about a thing apart from the person, because when the person also is there thought of, the society which is in the thing in question is excited, and thus the thought is determined thither, and is fixed. For in heaven where the thought is, there the presence is; and presence would bend to itself the thoughts of those who are in the society, and would thus disturb the influx from the Divine there. It is otherwise when they think abstractedly about a thing; in this case the thought diffuses itself in every direction according to the heavenly form which the influx proceeding from the Divine produces, and this without the disturbance of any society. For it insinuates itself into the general spheres of the societies, and in this case does not touch or move anyone in the society; thus does not divert anyone from the freedom of thinking according to the influx from the Divine. In a word, abstracted thought can pervade the whole heaven without stopping anywhere; but thought determined to person, or to place, is fixed and stays.