Reprefentatives, appears from what has been explained of Abraham, and will further appear from thofe Things which are yet, by Divine Mercy, to be explained of Ifaac, of Jacob, of his twelve Sons, of Egypt, of the Peregrination of the People in the Defart, of their Entrance into the Land of Canaan, and of the rest. That all Words with which they are defcribed are Significatives, is plain also from those Things which have been fhewn, as that Names fignify Things, as Egypt Science, Afchur the Rational, Ephraim the Intellectual, Tyre Knowledge, Zion the Church celestial, Jerufalem the Spiritual, and fo the reft; fo likewife as to Words, as that King fignifies Truth, Priest Good, and that the reft are in their internal Signification, as Kingdom, City, Houfe, Nation, People, Garden, Vineyards, Olive-yards, Gold, Silver, Brafs, Iron, Birds, Beafts, Bread, Wine, Oil, Morning, Day, Light, and this conftantly, as well in the historical Books as the Prophetical, altho' they were written by various Men, and at different Times, which would not have been fo conftant, unless the Word had come from Heaven. From hence it may be known, .that there is an internal Senfe in the Word, befides alfo from this, that the Divine Word could never treat of mere Men, as of Abraham Ifaac, Jacob, their Pofterity, which was the worst of Nations, of their Kings, Wives, Sons, Daughters, Whores, Rapines, and the like, which confider'd in themfelves, are indeed not worthy to be named in the Word, unless by them were reprefented and fignified fuch Things as are in the Kingdom of the Lord, thefe Things are worthy of the Word. 2608. Like unto these are also many Things in the Prophets, as those which are alledged, N. 1888; and this in Ifaiah, "Therefore "fhall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl; for the Founda❝tions of Kir-charefeth shall ye mourn, furely they are ftricken. For "the Fields of Heshbon languish, and the Vine of Sibmah; the Lords "of the Heathen have broken down the principal Places thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandred thro' the Wilderness, "her Branches are ftretched out, they are gone over the Sea. "Therefore will I bewail with the weeping of Jazer, the Vine of "Sibmah: I will water thee with my Tears, O Hefhbon, and "Elealeh; for the Shouting for thy Summer-fruits, and for thy Harveft, is fallen," xvi. 7, 8, 9. And in Jeremiah, "A Voice of crying for Horonaim, Spoiling and great Deftruction. Moab is deftroyed, her little ones have caufed a Cry to be heard. For in < the going up of Lohith, continual Weeping fhall go up; for in the going down of Horonahim the Enemies have heard a Cry of 'Destruction. Judgment is come upon the plain Country; upon "Holon, and upon Jahazar, and upon Mephaath; and upon Dibon, "and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim, and upon Kiriathaim, "and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon, and upon Kerioth, "and upon Bozrah," xlviii. 3, 4, 5, 22, 23, 24, 25. Such are the Propheticals in many Places of the Word; which unless they have an internal Senfe, would be of no Ufe; whereas it is neceffary, that the Word as it is Divine, fhould contain in it the Laws of the heavenly Kingdom, into which Man is to come. 2609. But with refpect to the Commandments of Life, as they are all of the Decalogue, and more in the Law and the Prophets, these, because they are of Service to the very Life of Man, are of Ufe in both Senfes, as well in the literal as in the internal, they were for the People of that Time, who did not apprehend Intenals; thofe Things which are in the Internal Senfe, were for Angels, who regard not Externals. Unless the Precepts of the Decalogue contained alfo Internals, they would never have been promulged in Mount Sinai with fo great a Miracle, for fuch as are there, as that of honouring Parents, not to steal, not to kill, not to commit Adultery, not to covet another Man's Goods, are what the Gentiles knew, and had them written in their Laws, and what the Children of Ifrael as Men ought to have known without fuch a Promulgation, but because those Commandments ferved for the Ufe of Life in both Senfes, and were as external Forms produced from internal, which correfpond to themfelves, therefore they defcended from Heaven upon Mount Sinai with fo great a Miracle, and in the internal Senfe were declared and heard in Heaven, but in the external Senfe were declared and heard on Earth as for Example, they who fhould honour their Parents shall have their Lives prolonged on Earth, the Angels who are in Heaven, by Parents perceived the Lord, by Earth His Kingdom, which they who worship Him in Love and Truth, fhould poffefs to Eternity as Sons and Heirs; but Men on Earth, by Parents understood Parents, by Land the Land of Canaan, by the prolonging of their Days the Years of Life; that by not to steal, the Angels who are in Heaven, perceived, that they should take nothing from the Lord, and fhould attribute fomething to his Juftice and Merit; but Men on Earth, that they must not steal; that these Things are true in both Senfes is manifeft. Moreover, by ; not not to kill, the Angels in Heaven perceived, that they should not hate any one, and that they should not extinguish any Thing of Good or Truth in any Man; but Men on Earth, that Friends are not to be kill'd; and fo of the reft. 'A CHA P. XXI. ND the LORD vifited Sarah, as he had faid, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a fon in his old the fet time of which God had spoken to him. age, at 3 And Abraham called the name of his son, that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Ifaac. 4 And Abraham circumcifed his fon Ifaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 And Sarah faid, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And the faid, Who would have faid unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children fuck? for I have borne him a son in his old age. 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feaft the fame day that Ifaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah faw the fon of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore the faid unto Abraham, Caft out this bond-woman, and her fon: for the fon of this bond-woman shall not be heir with my fon, even with Ifaac. II And the thing was very grievous in Abrahams fight, because of his fon. 12 And God faid to Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy fight, because of the lad, and because of thy bond-woman. In all that Sarah hath faid unto thee, hearken unto her voice: for in Ifaac fhall thy feed be called. 13 And 13 And also of the fon of the bond-woman will I make a nation, because he is thy feed. 14 And Abraham rofe up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar (putting it on her fhoulder) and the child, and fent her away: and the departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and the cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and fat her down over against him, a good way off, as it were a bow-fhot: for the faid, Let me not fee the death of the child. And the fat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad: and the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and faid unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not: for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arife, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand: for I will make him a great nation. 19 And God opened her eyes, and she faw a well of water, and she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink. 20 And God was with the lad, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. 22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech, and Phicol the chief captain of his hoft fpake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doeft: 23 Now therefore fwear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falfly with me, nor with my fon, nor with my fons fon, but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. 24 And Abraham faid, I will fwear. 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech, because of a well of water which Abimelechs fervants had violently taken away. 26 And Abimelech faid, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day, 27 And Abraham took fheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech and both of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham fet feven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And 29 And Abimelech faid unto Abraham, What mean these feven ewe lambs which thou haft fet by themselves? 30 And he faid, for these feven ewe lambs fhalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. 31 Wherefore he called that place Beer-fheba: because there they fware both of them. 32 Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rofe up, and Phicol the chief captain of his hoft, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-fheba, and called there on the Name of the LORD, the everlasting God. 34 And Abraham fojourned in the land of the Philiftines many days. 2610. IN N the internal Senfe here firft the Divine Rational of the Lord is treated of, which is represented by Isaac, Ver. 1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 2611. Afterwards of the Rational merely human, which was then separated, which is the Son of Hagar the Egyptian, Ver. 9, 10, II, 12. 2612. After this was feparated, was reprefented by the fame, namely, by the fon of Hagar, as alfo by the Mother, the Church Spiritual, of which and its State, Ver. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. 2613. Of the Rational human joined to the Doctrine of Faith; which is in itself Divine, Ver. 22, to the End. 2614. The Doctrine with those joined is Beer-Sheba, Ver. 14, 31, 33. The |