Joseph's cup of silver, n. 5747; that this is contrary to divine law, is evident, see n.. 3609. The reason that man ought not to claim anything to himself which is from the Lord, thus ought not to claim truth and good, is, that he may be in the truth; and so far as he is in the truth, so far he is in the light in which the angels in heaven are, and so far as he is in that light, so far he is intelligence and wisdom, and so far as he is in intelligence and wisdom, so far he is in happiness: this is the reason why man ought to acknowledge in faith of the heart, that nothing of truth and good is from himself, but all from the Lord; and this because it is so.

5750. Verses 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. And he overtook them, and spake to them those words. And they said to him, wherefore doth my lord speak according to these words? Be it far from thy servants to do according to this word. Lo, the silver which we found in the mouth of our wallets, we brought back to thee from the land of Canaan; and how shall we steal out of the house of thy lord silver or gold? [He] with whom it is found of thy servants, let him die, and also we will be to my lord for servants. And he said, also now according to your words so be it, [he] with whom it is found shall be my servant, and ye shall be guiltless. And he overtook them, signifies mediate adjunction and spake to them those words, signifies the influx of this thing: and they said to him, signifies apperception: wherefore doth my lord speak according to these words, signifies reflection why such a thing flows in: be it far from thy servants to do according to this word, signifies when it is not from the will lo, the silver which we found in the mouth of our wallets, signifies when truth was given gratis: we brought to thee from the land of Canaan, signifies let it be subinitted from a religious principle: and how shall we steal out of the house of thy lord silver or gold, signifies why then shall we claim to ourselves truth and good which is from the celestial divine: [He] with whom it is found of thy servants let him die, signifies that he is damned who does such a thing: and also we will be to my lord for servants, signifies that they shall be associated without freedom from the proprium for ever: And he said, also now according to your words, signifies that indeed it is so from justice so be it, signifies a milder sentence: [He] with whom it is found shall be my servant, signifies that [he] with whom it is, shall be forever without his own proper liberty and ye shall be guiltless, signifies that the rest shall be at their own disposal, because not together in fault.

5751. "And he overtook them"-that it signifies mediate adjunction, appears from what was said above, n. 5745.

5752. "And spake to them those words "that it signifies the influx of this thing, appears from the signification of speaking, as being influx, n. 2951, 3037, 5481; and from the signification of words, as being things; thing also in the original tongue is expressed by the same term.

5753. "And they said to him"-that it signifies apperception, appears from the signification of saying in the historicals of the Word, as being perception.

5754. "Wherefore doth my lord speak according to these words "that it signifies reflection why such a thing flows in, appears from the signification of speaking, as being to flow in; and from the signification of according to these words, as being that thing or such a thing, spoken of just above, n. 5752: reflection is involved in the word wherefore, which is a term of self-interrogation.

5755. "Be it far from thy servants to do according to this word "that it signifies when it is not from the will, namely, the will of claiming truth to themselves, appears from the signification of doing, as being to will, for every deed is of the will; the deed itself is natural, and the will is the spiritual from which [it comes]: that it is not, namely, from the will, is signified by Be it far from thy servants."

66

5756. "Lo, the silver which we found in the mouth of our wallets"-that it signifies when truth was given gratis, appears from the signification of silver, as being truth, n. 1551, 2954, 5658 and from the signification of we found, as denoting what was given gratis, for the silver of every one's corn was restored to them, thus was given gratis, see n. 5530, 5624: and from the signification of the mouth of the wallets, as being the threshold of the exterior natural, n. 5497.

5757. "We brought back to thee from the land of Canaan " —that it signifies let it be submitted from a religious principle, appears from the signification of bringing back, as being to submit, n. 5624; and from the signification of the land of Canaan, as denoting a religious principle. The land of Canaan signifies various things, by reason that it signifies that which includes very many things; for it signifies the Lord's kingdom, and it signifies the church, consequently also the man of the church, for he is a church; and whereas it signifies those things, it signifies also the celestial which is of the church, namely, the good

of love, and also its spiritual, which is the truth of faith, and so forth, here therefore the religious principle which is of the church; for from the religious principle of the church it is, that no one ought to claim to himself truth and good. From this it is evident, why one word sometimes signifies several things, for when in the complex it involves several things, it then also signifies those things which it involves, according to the series of things in the internal sense. That the land of Canaan denotes the Lord's kingdom, may be seen n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705; and that it denotes the church, n. 3686, 3705, 4447; from these flow the rest of its significations.

5758. "And how shall we steal from the house of thy lord silver or gold "—that it signifies, why then shall we claim to ourselves truth and good which is from the celestial Divine, appears from the signification of stealing, as being in the spiritual sense to claim to oneself what is the Lord's, of which above n. 5749; and from the signification of silver, as being truth, n. 1551, 2954, 5658; and from the signification of gold, as being good, n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658. In this chapter throughout it is treated concerning spiritual theft, which consists in any one claiming to himself the good and truth which is from the Lord. This is a thing of so great moment, that a man after death cannot be admitted into heaven, until he acknowledges in heart that nothing of good and truth is from himself, but from the Lord, and that whatever is from himself is nothing but evil; that this is the case, is shown to man after death by abundance of experience. That all good and truth is from the Lord, the angels in heaven perceive manifestly, and moreover that by the Lord they are withheld from evil, and kept in good, and thence in truth, and this by a mighty force. This also has been given me to perceive evidently now for several years, and also that so far as I have been left to the proprium or to myself, so far I have been overflowed with evils, and so far as I have been withheld thence by the Lord, so far I have been elevated from evil into good. Wherefore for any one to claim to himself truth and good, is contrary to the universal principle ruling in heaven, and also contrary to the acknowledgment that all salvation is of mercy, that is, that man of himself is in hell, but that he is of mercy drawn thence by the Lord; neither can man be in humiliation, consequently he cannot receive the Lord's mercy (for this flows in only in humiliation or into a humble heart), unless he acknowledges that from himself there is nothing but evil, and

that all good is from the Lord. Moreover without this acknowledgment he attributes to himself for merit whatever he does, and finally for justice, for to claim to himself the truth and good which is from the Lord, is to justify himself; hence many evils have their source, for then he rewards himself in everything which he does to his neighbor, and when he does this, he loves himself above all others, whom he thus despises, if not in mouth, yet in heart.

5759. "[He] with whom it is found of thy servants, let him die"-that it signifies that he is damned who doeth such a thing, appears from the signification of dying, as denoting to be danined, for spiritual death is nothing else than damnation. That they who claim to themselves the truth and good which is the Lord's, cannot be in heaven, but that they are out of heaven, is evident from what was said just above, n. 5758; and they who are out of heaven, are damned. But the above law is a law of judgment from truth, but when judgment is at the same time from good, then they who do truth and good, and from ignorance or simplicity attribute these to themselves, are not damned, but in the other life by a mode of vastation are liberated. And moreover, since every one ought to do truth and good as from himself, but still to believe that it is from the Lord, see n. 2882, 2883, 2891, when he so does, he then, as he grows up and increases in intelligence and faith, puts off that fallacy, and at length in heart acknowledges that all his endeavor to do good, and to think truth, was and is from the Lord wherefore also he who was sent by Joseph confirms indeed that judgment, but presently rejects it, namely, that he should die with whom the cup was found; for he says, "also now according to your words so be it, [he] with whom it is found shall be my servant, and ye shall be guiltless," by which words is signified a milder sentence. But the case is otherwise with those who do this not from ignorance and simplicity, but from principles which they have confirmed by faith and also by life; nevertheless, inasmuch as they do good, the Lord from mercy reserves with them somewhat of ignorance and simplicity.

5760. "And also we will be to my lord for servants that it signifies that they shall be associated without freedom. grounded in the proprium for ever, appears from the signification of the expression also we, as denoting associated and from the signification of being for servants, as denoting to be with

out freedom derived from the proprium: for he who is a servant, is without freedom grounded in the proprium; being dependent on the proprium and freedom of his lord: what it is to be without freedom grounded in the proprium, will be told, by the divine mercy of the Lord, in what follows.

5761. "And he said, also now according to your words "— that it signifies that indeed it would be so from justice, appears from what was explained just above, n. 5758, 5759: that it would be so from justice, namely, that he should die who doeth this, is signified by "also now according to your words; " but a milder sentence now follows.

5762. "So be it "—that it signifies a milder sentence, appears from what now follows, where that milder sentence is dictated. 5763. "[He] with whom it is found shall be my servant that it signifies that [he] with whom it is, shall be for ever without his own proper liberty, appears from the signification of a servant, as denoting to be without proper liberty, according to what was said above, n. 5760. The case herein is this. Joseph's cup of silver, placed by Joseph's order with Benjamin, signifies interior truth, n. 5736, 5747: he who is in interior truth, knows that all truth and good is from the Lord, and also that all freedom grounded in the proprium, or in man himself, is infernal; for man, when he does or thinks anything from his own proper freedom, does and thinks nothing but evil, whence he is a servant of the devil, for all evil flows in from hell; he also feels delight in that freedom, because it agrees with the evil in which he is, and into which he was born; wherefore this proper freedom must be put off, and in its stead must be put on heavenly freedom, which consists in willing good, and thence doing good, and in desiring truth, and thence thinking truth; when a man receives this freedom, he is then a servant of the Lord, and then in freedom itself, but not in the servitude in which he was before, which appeared as freedom. This now it is to be for ever without proper freedom: what freedom is, and whence it is, may be seen n. 2870 to 2893, and that essential freedom consists in being led of the Lord, n. 2890.

5764. "And ye shall be guiltless"-that it signifies that the rest shall be at their own disposal because not together in fault, appears from the signification of guiltless in respect to a servant, as denoting to be at his own disposal; because not together in fault, follows. Among the Gentiles it was formerly a custom, when one sinned, to make his companions also sharers in his