1002. 'Not eating' means not mixing together. This follows from what has been said above. Regarded in itself eating animal flesh is something profane, for in most ancient times people never ate the flesh of any beast or bird, but only different kinds of grain, especially wheaten bread, also the fruit of trees, vegetables, milk, and milk products such as butter. Slaughtering living creatures and eating their flesh was to them abominable, akin to the behaviour of wild animals. Service and use alone was demanded of those creatures, as is clear from Genesis 1:29-30. But in the process of time when mankind began to be as savage as wild animals, indeed more savage, they first began to slaughter living creatures and eat their flesh. And because man had become such, he was permitted to do so and is still permitted today. And insofar as he does so from conscience, it is quite legitimate, for his conscience is given form from all those things he presumes to be true and so legitimate. Consequently nobody nowadays stands in any sense condemned because he eats meat.

398. 'Going out from the face ¹ of Jehovah' means being separated from good present in faith and flowing from love - see what has been mentioned already at verse 14. 'He dwelt in the land of Nod' means outside truth and good. This is clear from the meaning of the name Nod, which is being a wanderer and a fugitive. As for a wanderer and a fugitive meaning someone who has been divested of truth and good, again see what has been mentioned already. 'Towards the east of Eden' means close to the understanding part of the mind, where love had reigned previously, and also close to the rational part, where charity had reigned previously. This is clear from what has been stated already about the meaning of 'the east of Eden', namely that 'the east' is the Lord and 'Eden' love. With members (vir) of the Most Ancient Church, the mind, consisting of will and understanding, was one. In fact the will was everything, and the understanding consequently part of that will, the reason being that no division existed between love which belongs to the will and faith which belongs to the understanding. For love was everything, and faith part of that love. But after faith had been separated from love, as happened with those called Cain, it was no longer the will that reigned. But because the understanding ruled in that mind instead of the will, that is, faith instead of love, it is said that 'he dwelt towards the east of Eden'; for, as has just been stated, faith was distinguished in a special way. that is, 'had a sign placed on it', to preserve it for the use it still had to serve to the human race.

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