Swedenborg Arcana Caelestia Vol. III (1750)

...to God, the gladness of my exultation" (Psalm xliii:3, 4). That the "Temple" refers to the Lord is clear in John: "Jesus said, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' He was speaking about the temple of his body" (ii:19, 21).

2778. "Whom I tell you" signifies as He was about to perceive. This is clear from the meaning of "to tell," which is to perceive, as discussed above (n. 2769).

2779. VERSE 3. And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose, and went to the place of which God had told him. "Abraham rose early in the morning" signifies a state of peace and innocence. "And saddled his donkey" signifies the natural man that he prepared. "And took two young men" signifies the former rational that he joined. "And Isaac his son" signifies the Divine Rational born of Himself. "And split the wood for the burnt offering" signifies the merit of righteousness. "And rose" signifies elevation. "And went to the place of which God had told him" signifies the state at that time according to perception.

2780. "Abraham rose early in the morning" signifies a state of peace and innocence. This is clear from the meaning of "morning," and also "to rise in the morning," when predicated of the Lord, who is Abraham here. Morning in a universal sense signifies the Lord, and thus His Kingdom; consequently, the celestial of love in general and in particular, as shown in n. 2333. And because it signifies that, it signifies the very state in which they are, which is a state of Peace and Innocence. A state of Peace in the heavens is like the state of dawn on earth. In a state of Peace in the heavens, all celestial and spiritual things exist, and from there they derive all their favorable, blessed, and happy quality, just as in the state of dawn on earth all things appear to a person as pleasant and joyful; for individual things derive such quality from the general affection (see n. 920, 2384). It is similar with the state of innocence; it exists here in a state of Peace, and is the general affection influencing all things of love and faith. If these do not contain innocence within them, they lack their essential quality. Hence, no one can come into heaven unless they have some innocence (Mark x:15). From this it is clear what "morning" signifies in the internal sense, especially when it is said that "he rose early in the morning." And because in the supreme sense, Morning is the Lord, and from Him is the state that produces and affects those things that are in His Kingdom, "morning" and "to rise in the morning" also signify many things that exist in that state, and this is predicated of those things which follow in the internal sense.

2781. "And saddled his donkey" signifies the natural man that he prepared. This is clear from the meaning of a donkey, which follows: In a person, there are volitional things and intellectual things. Those things that are of good pertain to the volitional, and those that are of truth to the intellectual. There are various kinds of beasts through which volitional things, which are of good, are signified, such as lambs, sheep, kids, goats, heifers, and oxen (see n. 1823, 2179, 2180). And there are also beasts through which intellectual things, which are of truth, are signified, namely horses, mules, wild donkeys, camels, and donkeys, as well as birds. That the horse signifies the intellectual...