Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3994thee” signifies unless an intermediate be adjoined; “give him uponmy hand” signifies so far as was in its power; “and I will bring himunto thee again” signifies that it shall be restored; “and he said, Myson shall not go down with you” signifies that it will not let itselfdown toward lower things; “for his brother is dead” signifiesbecause the internal is not present; “and he only is left” signifiesthat it is now in place of the internal; “and mischief will befall himin the way wherein ye shall go” signifies that with truths alone inthe natural, separated from the internal, it would perish; “and yewill make my gray hairs go down” signifies that this will be the lastof the church; “in sorrow to the grave” signifies without hope ofresuscitation.5529. And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks. That thissignifies use from the truths in the natural is evident from thesignification of “emptying” the produce they brought from Egyptas being to do use from truths, for by “produce” is signified truth(see n. 5276, 5280, 5292, 5402), and from the signification of“sacks” as being receptacles in the natural (n. 5489, 5494), thus thenatural. (Of the receptacles in the natural, see below, n. 5531.)5530. And behold everyone’s bundle of silver. That this signifies thesettings in order of truths bestowed gratis is evident from thesignification of a “bundle” as being a setting in order (of which inwhat follows); and from the signification of “silver” as being truth(see n. 1551, 2954); by “everyone having it in his sack” is signifiedthat these were bestowed gratis. That a “bundle” denotes a settingin order is because the truths with man are disposed and ordered inseries. Those most in agreement with his loves are in the midst,those not so much in agreement are at the sides, finally those not atall in agreement are rejected to the outermost circumferences.Outside of this series are the things contrary to the loves.Wherefore those things which are in the midst are called bloodrelations, for love produces blood relationship, and those which aremore remote are connections; and at the ultimate boundaries theconnections die away. All things in man are disposed in such series,and are signified by “bundles.”