Revelation seem to rise out of and above the mere words and letters, in order to point out the meaning why the people of the mountain, who offer sacrifices of righteousness, shall suck of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. (Deut. xxxiii. 19.) The Letter of God's Word—which is full of spirit and life, full of Divine Wisdom, and rich with both Good and Truth—is here compared to the sea and to the sand, which nevertheless contains a rich fulness of spiritual blessings, called the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand. This abundance and these treasures are hid from the wicked, lest they increase their condemnation by profaning them; but are received and enjoyed by the good as the abundance of God's gifts, that they may be used only to make eternally rich the humble and the meek.
The fact of Adam being able to give names to all cattle, to the birds, and to every beast of the field, contains much more than appears in the bare words. Adam, as a name, means man in a celestial state, or an image and likeness of God. Celestial love is called a likeness of God; and wisdom from that love is his image; for wisdom is the very image of love, and through which love shines forth with benignity and beauty of aspect. Hence man is said to be created into the image of God, after or according to his likeness. Celestial love is an ardent love to God; and this gives birth to all the charities and blessings of life. This celestial love, or Adam, sees all things from the highest principle of good, and thus Adam, possessing the love of heaven, has the discernment and speech of heaven: no human art can teach this; for celestial affection has a language of its own. Now
