Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3737of the letter, the angels with him understand them according to thespiritual sense. The Word has been so written as to serve not onlythe human race, but also heaven; for which reason all theexpressions therein are significative of heavenly things, and all thethings are representative of them, and this even to the least jot.[6] That “food” in the spiritual sense is good, the Lord alsoplainly teaches in John:Labor not for the food that perisheth, but for the food that abidethinto life eternal, which the son of man shall give to you (John 6:27).My flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink (John 6:55);where “flesh” is the Divine good (n. 3813); and “blood” is theDivine truth (n. 4735). And again:Jesus said to his disciples, I have food to eat that ye know not. Thedisciples said one to another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat?Jesus saith to them, My food is that I do the will of him that sent me,and that I perfect his work (John 4:32–34);“to do the will of the father, and to perfect his work” is the Divinegood in act or exercise, which as before said in the genuine sense is“food.”5148. The work of the baker. That this signifies according to everyuse of the sensuous is evident from the signification of “work” asbeing according to every use (of which hereafter); and from thesignification of a “baker” as being the sensuous subject to the willpart (see n. 5078, 5082). The reason why “work” denotes use isthat it is predicated of the will part, or of the sensuous subject tothe will part; and whatever is done by means of this, and can becalled “work” must be use. All the works of charity are nothing else,for works of charity are works from the will that are uses.5149. And the birds did eat them out of the basket from upon myhead. That this signifies that falsity from evil consumed it is evidentfrom the signification of “the birds” as being intellectual things,