261. The Word was composed by means of correspondences, and thus by means of representatives. As to the sense of the letter, the Word was composed by means of pure correspondences, and thus by means of such things as represent and signify the spiritual things which belong to heaven and the Church, nos. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2179, 2763, 2899. This was done for the sake of the internal sense, which is in each single thing, no. 2899; and thus for the sake of heaven, since those who are in heaven do not understand the Word according to the sense of the letter, which is natural; but according to the internal sense which is spiritual, no. 2899. The Lord spoke through correspondences, representatives, significatives, because He spoke from the Divine, nos. 9048, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10728. The Lord therefore spoke before the world, and before heaven, nos. 2533, 4807, 9048, 9063, 9086. The things which the Lord spoke filled the whole heaven, no. 4637. The historical things of the Word are representative; the words are significative, nos. 1540, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2686. The Word could not have been composed in any other style, in order that through it there might be communication and conjunction with the heavens, nos. 2899, 6943, 9481. Those are much mistaken who despise the Word on account of its apparently simple and uncouth style, and who think that they would receive the Word if it had been written in another style, no. 8783. The most ancient people also had a method and a style of writing by means of representatives and significatives, nos. 605, 1756, 9942. The ancient wise men were delighted with the Word, on account of the representatives and significatives therein; from experience, nos. 2592, 2593. If a man of the Most Ancient Church had read the Word, he would have seen clearly the things which are in its internal sense, and obscurely those which are in its external sense, no. 4493. The sons of Jacob were led into the land of Canaan, because all the places therein had become representative from the most ancient times, nos. 1585, 3686, 4447, 5136, 6516; and that thus there might be written in it a Word, in which places might be named for the sake of the internal sense, nos. 3686, 4447, 5136, 6516. But the Word was, nevertheless, altered as to the external sense, for the sake of that nation, yet not as to the internal sense, nos. 10453, 10461, 10603, 10604. In order that it may be known what the correspondences and representatives in the Word are, and what their quality, something shall also be said concerning them. All things which correspond likewise represent and hence signify, so that correspondences and representatives are one thing, nos. 2896, 2897, 2973, 2987, 2989, 2990, 3002, 3225. What correspondences and representatives are; from experience and examples, nos. 2763, 2987-3002, 3213-3226, 3337-3352, 3472-3485, 4218-4228, 9280. The science of correspondences and representatives was the chief science among the ancients, nos. 3021, 3419, 4280, 4748, 4844, 4964, 4966, 6004, 7729, 10252; especially among the eastern nations, nos. 5702, 6692, 7097, 7779, 9391, 10252, 10407; and in Egypt more than elsewhere, nos. 5702, 6692, 7097, 7779, 9391, 10407. Likewise among the Gentiles, as in Greece and other places, nos. 2762, 7729. At this day, however, that science is among the lost sciences, particularly in Europe, nos. 2894, 2895, 2994, 3630, 3632, 3747-3749, 4581, 4966, 10252. This science, nevertheless, is more excellent than all other sciences, because apart from it the Word cannot be understood, nor can the signification of the rites of the Jewish Church, which are treated of in the Word, be known; neither can the nature of heaven be known, nor what the Spiritual is, nor how the case is with spiritual influx into the Natural, with many other things, no. 4280, and the passages cited above. All things which appear among the angels and spirits are representative, according to the correspondences of such things as belong to love and faith, nos. 1971, 3213-3226, 3349, 3475, 3485, 9481, 9574, 9576, 9577. The heavens are full of representatives, nos. 1521, 1532, 1619. Representatives appear more beautiful and perfect, in proportion as they are more interiorly in the heavens, no. 3475. The representatives there are real appearances, because they are from the light of heaven which is Divine Truth, and Divine Truth is the very Essential of the existence of all things, no. 3485. The reason why each and all things in the spiritual world are represented in the natural world, is that the Internal clothes itself with appropriate things in the External, whereby it presents itself visibly and becomes apparent, nos. 6275, 6284, 6299. The end thus clothes itself with suitable things so as to present itself as the cause in a lower sphere, and afterwards as the effect in a sphere lower still; and when the end through the cause becomes the effect, it becomes visible, that is, appears before the eyes, no. 5711. This may be illustrated by the influx of the soul into the body, namely, that the soul becomes clothed in the body with such things as render it possible for things which the soul thinks and wills to appear and to be presented visibly; when, therefore, the thought flows down into the body, it is represented by such gestures and actions as correspond, no. 2988. The affections, belonging to the mind, are represented in the face, through the various expressions of the countenance, so as to appear therein, nos. 4791-4805, 5695. Hence it is evident, that in each and all things of nature, there is latent interiorly a cause and an end from the spiritual world, nos. 3562, 5711; since those things which are in nature are ultimate effects in which are prior things, nos. 4240, 4939, 5051, 6275, 6284, 6299, 9216. Internal things are those which are represented, and external things those which represent, no. 4292. Since all things in nature are representative of spiritual and celestial things, therefore, in ancient times, there were Churches wherein all the externals which were rituals, were representative; wherefore those Churches were called representative Churches, nos. 519, 521, 2896. The Church which was instituted among the sons of Israel was a representative Church, nos. 1003, 2179, 10149. All the rituals in it were externals which represented the internal things belonging to heaven and the Church, nos. 4288, 4874. The representatives of the Church and of worship ceased when the Lord came into the world, because the Lord laid open the internal things of the Church, and because all the externals of the Church, in the highest sense, had respect to Him, no. 4832.