Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 10560

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10560. See, Thou sayest unto me, Make this people come up. That this signifies a solemn promise that the church should be with that nation, is evident from the signification of "Thou sayest unto me," when the saying is by Jehovah, as being a solemn promise; and from the signification of "making this people come up," as being that the church should be set up with that nation. These are the things which are signified in the internal sense by these words. But in the sense nearest the letter is signified that they should be brought into the land of Canaan and should possess it. (That to be brought into the land of Canaan and to possess it denotes to set up the church, see above, n. 10559.) How the case is in regard to these things has been shown throughout in the preceding pages, namely, that no church could be instituted with that nation, but only the representative of a church, because they were in external things separate from what is internal, and those who are of such a character cannot receive any influx from the Divine; and yet the church with man is in his internal, but not in what is external separate therefrom. They who are of such a character can indeed represent the church, but cannot be the church. To represent the church and not be the church is to worship external things, and to call them holy and Divine; but not to acknowledge and perceive them in faith and love from heaven. (See what has been said above concerning the signification of "making the people come up into the land," in n. 10526.)


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