AC 1535, 1547 - Abram and Lot

AC 1535

This chapter treats of the external man in the Lord
which was to be conjoined with His internal man.
The external man is the Human Essence,
the internal is the Divine essence.
The former is here represented by Lot,
but the latter by Abram. 

AC 1547

And Lot with him.
(Genesis 13:1)

. . . as Lot is here specifically treated of,
it must be known what it is in the Lord that he represents.
Pharaoh represented the memory-knowledges
that at last sent the Lord away;
but Lot represents sensuous things,
by which is meant the external man and its pleasures
that pertain to sensuous things,
thus those things which are outermost,
and which are wont to captivate man in his childhood,
and draw him away from goods.
For so far as a man indulges
the pleasures that originate from worldly desires,
he is drawn away from
the celestial things that are of love and charity;
because in those pleasures
there is love from self and from the world,
with which celestial love cannot agree. 
There are, however,
pleasures that agree perfectly with celestial things,
and that likewise appear similar in external form.
But the pleasures that originate from worldly desires
are to be restrained and wiped out,
because they block the way to celestial things.
It is these pleasures, and not the others,
that are treated of in this chapter-by Lot,
in that he separated himself from Abram;
and here it is said that such pleasures were present,
which are signified by "Lot with him."
But in general by "Lot" is signified the external man,
as will be evident from what follows.