2088. Behold I will bless him; and will make him fruitful very exceedingly. That this signifies that they should be imbued and gifted with the goods of faith and with the derivative truths beyond measure, is evident from the signification of being “blessed,” of being “fruitful,” and of being “multiplied.” To be “blessed” signifies to be gifted with all goods (as shown in Part First, n. 981, 1096, 1420, 1422). To be “fruitful” denotes the goods of faith with which they should be gifted; and to be “multiplied” denotes the truths thence derived (as also shown in Part First, n. 43, 55, 913, 983).

[2] Who the celestial are, and who the spiritual, it would be too tedious to describe here, and they have been described already (as may be seen n. 81, 597, 607, 765, 2069, 2078, and in many other places). In general, the celestial are those who have love to the Lord, and the spiritual those who have charity toward the neighbor. (What the distinction is between having love to the Lord, and having charity toward the neighbor, may be seen above, n. 2023.) The celestial are those who are in the affection of good from good; but the spiritual are those who are in the affection of good from truth. In the beginning all were celestial, because they were in love to the Lord; and hence they received perception, by which they perceived good, not from truth, but from the affection of good.

[3] But afterwards, when love to the Lord was no longer such as it had been, spiritual men followed, those men being called spiritual who were in love toward the neighbor, or in charity. But love toward the neighbor, or charity, was implanted by means of truth; and thereby they received conscience, and acted in accordance with it, not from the affection of good, but from the affection of truth. Charity, with the spiritual, appears like the affection of good; but it is the affection of truth. From this appearance, charity is still called good; but it is the good of their faith. These are they who are meant by the Lord in John:

I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture; I am the good shepherd and I know Mine own, and am known of Mine; and other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd (John 10:9, 14, 16).

983. That “be fruitful” signifies the good of charity, and “multiply” the truths of faith, which were now about to be increased, is evident from the signification of these two expressions in the Word, where “to be fruitful” or to produce fruit, is constantly predicated of charity, and “to multiply” of faith, as was shown above, n. 43, 55, and in further confirmation of which we may adduce the following passages from the Word:

Turn, O backsliding sons; I will give you shepherds according to Mine heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and intelligence and it shall be that ye shall be multiplied and made fruitful in the earth (Jeremiah 3:14-16),

where “to be multiplied” manifestly denotes growth in knowledge and intelligence, that is, in faith, and “to be made fruitful” denotes the goods of charity; for it there treats of the implantation of the church, in which faith or “multiplication” comes first.

Again:

I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all lands whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds, and they shall be fruitful and multiplied (Jeremiah 23:3),

speaking of a church already planted, consequently to be “made fruitful” as to the goods of charity and to be “multiplied” as to the truths of faith.

So in Moses:

Moreover I will look to you, and make you to be fruitful, and I will make you to be multiplied, and establish My covenant with you (Leviticus 26:9), speaking in the internal sense of the celestial church, wherefore “to be fruitful” is predicated of the goods of love and charity, and “to be multiplied” of the goods and truths of faith.

In Zechariah:

I will redeem them, and they shall be multiplied as they have been multiplied (Zechariah 10:8); that “to be multiplied” is here predicated of the truths of faith, is evident from their being to “be redeemed.”

In Jeremiah:

The city shall be builded upon her own heap, and out of them shall proceed confession, and the voice of them that make merry, and I will cause them to be multiplied, and they shall not be diminished; their sons also shall be as aforetime (Jeremiah 30:18-20),speaking of the affections of truth, and of the truths of faith; the former being denoted by “confession, and the voice of them that make merry” and the latter by “being multiplied;” “sons” also here denote truths.