Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3591are taken up into heaven, he will then know that he retains nothingof the historicals of the Word, and indeed knows nothing aboutJoseph, nor about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; but only about thespiritual and Divine things which he had learnt from the Word andhad applied to his life. Such things therefore are what are inwardlycontained in the Word, and are called its internal sense.4990. And he refused. That this signifies aversion is evident fromthe signification of “refusing” as being to be averse, namely, to theconjunction in question; for he who refuses, even to fleeing away isaverse.4991. And said unto his lord’s wife. That this signifies perceptionconcerning this truth is evident from the signification of “saying,”in the historicals of the Word, as being to perceive (of which oftenabove); and from the signification of “his lord’s wife” as being truthnatural not spiritual adjoined to natural good (as above, n. 4988).4992. Behold, my lord knoweth not what is with me in the house.That this signifies that natural good did not desire evenappropriation is evident from the signification of his “lord” as beingnatural good (see n. 4973); and from the signification of “notknowing what is with me in the house” as being not to desireappropriation. That this is the meaning cannot be seen except fromthe series of things in the internal sense; for a third state is nowtreated of, in which the celestial of the spiritual was in the natural:in this state the good and truth natural which is spiritual is separatefrom the good and truth natural which is not spiritual; andconsequently by “not knowing what is in the house” is signifiedthat there is no desire for appropriation. But these things, beingarcana, cannot be made clear except by examples. Let the followingexample therefore serve for illustration. To be conjoined with one’swife from lust alone, this is natural not spiritual; but to beconjoined with one’s wife from conjugial love, this is spiritualnatural; and when the husband is afterward conjoined from lustalone, he believes that he transgresses, as one who does what islascivious, and therefore he no longer desires that this should beappropriated to him. Let this also serve as an example. To benefit a