Heavenly Doctrine (Tafel) n. 258

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258. In the Word there is a Spiritual Sense, which is called the Internal Sense. No one can know what the internal sense of the Word is, unless he knows what correspondence is, nos. 2895, 4322. Each and all things down to the minutest singular, in the natural world, correspond to spiritual things, and therefore are significative of these things, nos. 1886-1889, 2987-3003, 3213-3227. The spiritual things to which natural things correspond, present themselves in the Natural under a different appearance, so as not to be recognized, nos. 1887, 2395, 8920. Scarcely any one at the present day knows wherein the Divinity of the Word resides, when yet it is in its internal, that is, in its spiritual sense, the existence of which is unknown at the present day, nos. 2899, 4989. The mystical [element] of the Word is nothing else than the contents of its internal or spiritual sense, which treats of the Lord, His kingdom, and the Church, and not of the natural things which are in the world, no. 4923. In most places, the prophetic portions are not understood, and thus are of no use apart from the internal sense; shewn by examples, nos. 2608, 8020, 8398. As for instance, by the signification of the White Horse, in the Apocalypse, no. 2760 et seq.; by that of the Keys of the Kingdom of the heavens which were given to Peter (see Preface to Chapter xxii. of Genesis, no. 9410); by that of flesh, blood, bread, and wine, in the Holy Supper, and thus why it was instituted by the Lord (see no. 8602); further, by the signification of the prophecies of Jacob concerning his sons, in Chapter xlix. of Genesis, nos. 6306, 6333-6465; and by that of many prophecies concerning Judah and Israel, which are not at all in keeping with that people, and do not harmonize according to the sense of the letter, nos. 6333, 6361, 6415, 6438, 6444. Besides innumerable other instances, no. 2608. A summary of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, nos. 1767-1777, 1869-1879. In each and all things of the Word there is an internal sense, nos. 1143, 1984, 2135, 2333, 2395, 2495, 2619. These things do not appear in the sense of the letter, but are nevertheless inwardly contained in it, no. 4442.


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