AC 1450-1451 - The Lord's Fourth State When a Child

AC 1450- 1451

And he removed from there
 into the mountain on the east of Bethel.
(Genesis 12:8)

That this signifies the Lord's fourth state when a child,
is evident from what precedes and from what follows,
and also from the order itself.
The order was that the Lord should first of all
be endowed from infancy
with the celestial things of love.
The celestial things of love are
love to Jehovah and love to the neighbor,
and innocence itself in these.
From these, as from the very fountains of life,
flow all other things both in general and particular,
for all other things are merely derivations.
These celestial things are insinuated into man
chiefly in his state of infancy up to childhood,
and in fact without knowledges;
for they flow in from the Lord, and affect him,
before the man knows what love is and what affection is;
as may be seen from the state of infants,
and afterwards from the state of early childhood.
These things in man are the remains
which have been spoken of several times;
and which are insinuated by the Lord
and stored up for use in afterlife.
As the Lord was born as are other men,
He was also introduced according to order 
into celestial things,
and in fact by degrees from infancy to childhood,
and afterwards into knowledges;
and how the case was with Him in regard to these
is described in this verse,
and is represented in what follows
by Abraham's sojourn in Egypt.

That to be "removed into the mountain on the east of Bethel"
signifies the progression of the celestial things of love,
is evident from the signification of a "mountain,"
as being what is celestial . . .;
and from the signification of "the east,"
as being Jehovah Himself as to love;
for He is the East itself . . .;
and also from the signification of "Bethel,"
as being the knowledge of celestial things.
Celestial things are insinuated into man
both without knowledges, and with knowledges;
celestial things without knowledges
from infancy up to childhood, as said just above;
but celestial things with knowledges
from childhood onward to adult age.
And as the Lord was to advance
into the knowledges of celestial things,
which are signified by "Bethel,"
it is here said that Abram passed over from there
to a mountain on the east of Bethel.