AC 3254 - "Old Age"; AC 3260 - "May God Bless"

 AC 3254

In a good old age, an old man and sated.
(Genesis 25:8)

That this means something new in the representation,
is evident from the meaning
in the internal sense of "old age,"
as being to put off what is old
and put on what is new.
The reason why what is new, or a new state,
is meant in the internal sense by "old age,"
is that with the angels,
for whom is the internal sense of the Word,
there is no idea of time,
thus no idea of such things as belong to time,
as the ages of man --
infancy, childhood, youth, adult age, and old age.
But instead of all these
they have an idea of states,
thus instead of the time of infancy
they have an idea of the state of innocence;
instead of the time of childhood and youth
they have an idea of
the state of the affection of good and truth;
instead of adult age
they have an idea of the state of intelligence;
and instead of old age
an idea of the state of wisdom;
and as at this time of life
a person passes from the things of time
to those that are of a life without time,
and thus puts on a new state . . ..

AC 3260

Among the ancients,
when a work was to be commenced,
it was customary to say, "May God bless it;"
and by this was meant the same as is meant
by the expression of the wish,
"May it be prosperous and happy;"
and thus in a more remote sense, by,
"May God bless,"
as well as by, "May it be prosperous and happy,"
there is meant a beginning,
here the beginning of the representation by Isaac,
because this follows immediately after
the end of the representation by Abraham,
which is signified by his death.