Verses 1-4. And now the corrupted man, therefore, ceases to pervert the truth, and begins to contemplate the rejection of all truth; but he is able also to behold the state of the spiritual man as in heavenly order, and can discern truths in a state of apparent humility.

Verses 5-9. The happy state of the truly spiritual man is described, as to good and truth, as to deliverance from evil, and as to his power, from the Lord, against evil.

Verses 10-14. But the corrupted man conjoins in himself evil and falsity; he more clearly feels and perceives the opposition between himself and the spiritual man; and he recognizes that the truth cannot be changed to promote evil and error, and that he must be entirely separated from it.

Verses 15-25. A prophetic description of the coming of the Lord; of the process of Judgement, by which the external man in the case of the good, is made one with the internal; and of the same process in the case of the wicked, by which they are totally vastated as to all good and truth.

6238. 'As Reuben and Simeon will they be mine' means that they will be truth and the good of truth. This is clear from the representation of 'Reuben' as faith in the understanding, and the truth of doctrine by means of which one is able to arrive at the good of life, dealt with in 3861, 3866, thus in general truth that belongs to the understanding; and from the representation of 'Simeon' as faith in the will, consequently truth realized in action, which is the good of faith or the good of truth, dealt with in 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4503, 5626, 5630, thus in general good which belongs to the new will. The things that Ephraim and Manasseh represent are clearly similar to all this.

[2] But since Reuben profaned what he represented, 4601, and Simeon polluted what he represented, 4497, 4501, 4507, on account of which they were cursed, see verses 3-7 of the next chapter, they lost their birthright and Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh were acknowledged as the firstborn in place of them, 1 Chronicles 5:1. Nevertheless what Reuben and Simeon represented remained with them, for it makes no difference what the character of the person who serves to represent something is like, 665, l097 (end), 4281. That is to say, the representation of faith in the understanding remained with Reuben, and the representation of faith in the will with Simeon. But what resided with Ephraim was the representation of the Church's understanding, and what resided with Manasseh was the representation of the Church's will.