3300. And the first came forth red all over like a hairy garment [tunica]. That this signifies the natural good of the life of truth, is evident from the signification of “coming forth,” as being to be born; from the signification of “red,” as being the good of life, as will be shown presently; and from the signification of a “hairy garment,” as being the truth of the natural, which also will be shown presently. This being the “first” signifies that as to essence good is prior, as before said (n. 3299); and it is said “like a hairy garment” in order to signify that good is clothed with truth, as with a tender vessel or body, as also before said (n. 3299). In the internal sense of the Word a “garment” [tunica] signifies merely that which invests something else, wherefore also truths are compared to garments (n. 1073, 2576).

[2] That “red,” or “ruddy,” signifies the good of life, is because all good is of love, and love itself is celestial and spiritual fire, and is also compared to fire and likewise is called “fire” (n. 933-936). So also is love compared to blood, and is called “blood” (n. 1001); and because they are both red, the good which is of love is signified by “red” or “ruddy,” as may also be seen from the following passages in the Word. In the prophecy of Jacob, then Israel:

He shall wash his raiment in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes; his eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk (Genesis 49:11-12); where Judah is treated of, by whom is there signified the Lord, as must be evident to everyone. “Raiment” and “vesture” in this passage signify the Lord’s Divine natural; “wine” and “the blood of grapes” signify the Divine good and Divine truth of the natural. Of the former it is said that “his eyes are redder than wine;” of the latter that “his teeth are whiter than milk;” it is the conjunction of good and truth in the natural which is thus described.

[3] In Isaiah:

Who is this that cometh from Edom? Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel? and Thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat? (Isaiah 63:1-2);

here “Edom” denotes the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine natural, as will appear from what follows; “red in Thine apparel” denotes the good of truth; “garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat,” the truth of good.

In Jeremiah:

Her Nazirites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in bone than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire (Lam. 4:7).

By the “Nazirites” was represented the Lord as to the Divine Human, especially as to the Divine natural; thus the good therein by their being “more ruddy in bone than rubies.”

[4] As “red” signified good, especially the good of the natural, therefore in the Jewish Church, in which each and all things were representative of the Lord, and thence of His kingdom (consequently of good and truth, because the Lord’s kingdom is from these), it was commanded that the covering of the tent should be of the skins of red rams (Exodus 25:5; 26:14; 35:7, 23; 36:19); and also that the water of expiation should be made of the ashes of a red heifer burned (Numbers 19:2, 9). Unless the color red had signified something celestial in the Lord’s kingdom, it would never have been commanded that the rams should be red, and the heifer red. That holy things were thereby represented, everyone acknowledges who holds the Word to be holy. Inasmuch as the color red had such a signification, the coverings of the tent were interwoven and coupled together with threads of scarlet, crimson, and blue (Exodus 35:6).

[5] As almost all things have also an opposite sense, as has before been frequently stated, “red” in like manner then signifies the evil which is of the love of self; and this because the cupidities of the love of self are compared to fire and are called “fire” (n. 934, 1297, 1527, 1528, 1861, 2446); and in like manner they are compared to blood and are called “blood” (n. 374, 954, 1005). Hence in the opposite sense “red” has this signification; as in Isaiah:

Jehovah said, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

In Nahum:

The shield of the mighty men (of Belial) is made red, the valiant men are made crimson, in the fire of torches are the chariots in the day (Nahum 2:3).

In John:

And there was seen another sign in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems (Revelation 12:3).

Again:

And I saw and behold a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown; and he went forth conquering and to conquer. And another horse came forth that was red; and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword. Afterwards there came forth a black horse; and at last a pale horse, whose name was death (Revelation 6:2, 4-5, 8).

933. That “cold, and heat” signifies the state of man when he is being regenerated, which is like this in regard to the reception of faith and charity, and that “cold” signifies no faith and charity, and “heat” charity, is evident from the signification of “cold” and “heat” in the Word, where they are predicated of a man about to be regenerated, or being regenerated, or of the church. The same is also evident from the connection, that is, from what precedes and what follows; for the subject is the church (inthe preceding verse that man would not again be able so to destroy himself, in this verse that some church will always come into existence), which is first described as to the way it comes into existence, that is, when the man is being regenerated so as to become a church, and then the quality of the regenerated man is treated of; so that the treatment of the subject covers every state of the man of the church.

[2] That his state when regenerated is as described, namely, a state of cold, and heat, or of no faith and charity, and again of faith and charity, may not be so evident to anyone except from experience, and indeed from reflection in regard to the experience. And because there are few who are being regenerated, and among those who are being regenerated few if any who reflect, or who are able to reflect on the state of their regeneration, we may say a few words on the subject. When man is being regenerated, he receives life from the Lord; for before this he cannot be said to have lived, the life of the world and of the body not being life, but only that which is heavenly and spiritual. Through regeneration man receives real life from the Lord; and because he had no life before, there is an alternation of no life and of real life, that is, of no faith and charity, and of some faith and charity; no charity and faith being here signified by “cold” and some faith and charity by “heat.”

[3] As regards this subject the case is this: Whenever man is in his corporeal and worldly things, there is then no faith and charity, that is, there is “cold” for then corporeal and worldly things, consequently those which are his own, are at work, and so long as the man is in these, he is absent or remote from faith and charity, so that he does not even think about heavenly and spiritual things. The reason of this is that heavenly and corporeal things can never be together in a man, for man’s will has been utterly ruined. But when the things of man’s body and will are not at work, but are quiescent, then the Lord works through his internal man, and then he is in faith and charity, which is here called “heat.” When he again returns into the body he is again in cold; and when the body, or what is of the body, is quiescent, and as nothing, he is then in heat, and so on in alternation. For such is the condition of man that heavenly and spiritual things cannot be in him along with his corporeal and worldly things, but there are alternations. This is what takes place with everyone who is to be regenerated, and it goes on as long as he is in a state of regeneration; for in no other way is it possible for man to be regenerated, that is, from being dead to be made alive, for the reason, as already said, that his will has been utterly ruined, and is therefore completely separated from the new will, which he receives from the Lord and which is the Lord’s and not the man’s. Hence now it is evident what is here signified by “cold, and heat.”

[4] That such is the case every regenerated man may know from experience, that is to say, that when he is in corporeal and worldly things, he is absent and remote from internal things, so that he not only takes no thought about them, but feels in himself cold at the thought of them; but that when corporeal and worldly things are quiescent, he is in faith and charity. He may also know from experience that these states alternate, and that therefore when corporeal and worldly things begin to be in excess and to want to rule, he comes into straits and temptations, until he is reduced into such a state that the external man becomes compliant to the internal, a compliance it can never render until it is quiescent and as it were nothing. The last posterity of the Most Ancient Church could not be regenerated, because, as before said, with them the things of the understanding and of the will constituted one mind; and therefore the things of their understanding could not be separated from those of their will, so that they might in this manner be by turns in heavenly and spiritual things, and in corporeal and worldly things; but they had continual cold in regard to heavenly things and continual heat in regard to cupidities, so that they could have no alternation.