4686. 'Behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field' means that they were teaching from doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of 'a sheaf' as doctrine, and consequently of 'binding sheaves' as teaching from doctrine, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'a field' as the Church, dealt with in 2971, 3766, 4440, 4443. 'The middle of the field' means the more internal part of the Church and so those who are governed by faith that is grounded in some charity - 'the middle' meaning in the internal sense that which is more internal and that which is inmost, 1074, 2940, 2973. For every Church has members in the middle, that is, those who are its inmost ones. They consist of those governed by charity, or in this case by faith grounded in some charity. With these the Lord is present because the Lord is present within charity and through charity within faith, 4672. It is also evident that these people are meant from what follows - from the description that Joseph's sheaf arose and the remaining sheaves gathered around it. By 'Joseph's sheaf' is meant doctrine drawn from the Lord's Divine Truth.

[2] The reason 'a sheaf means doctrine is that 'a field' means the Church, as has just been stated, while the grain-crop in the field means truth present in the Church. Thus a sheaf of the crop means doctrine containing truth. 'Sheaves' has a similar meaning in David,

Those who sow in tears will reap with singing; he who indeed goes forth weeping, carrying a cast of seed, will indeed come with singing, carrying his sheaves. Psalms 126:5-6.

This refers to people who have been in spiritual captivity and then have been set free. 'Carrying a cast of seed' stands for instruction in truths, 'coming with singing' for the gladness that results from the affection for truth, 'carrying sheaves' for matters of doctrine belonging to that truth.

4672. 'And he, still a boy' means at first. This is clear from the meaning of 'a boy' - when this expression is used to refer to a new Church - as at first, that is, as the first state of that Church. For the Church is like an infant, a boy, a man, and at length an old man, in that it passes as the individual does through its own phases of life. The Church also resembles the human being in general, and is actually called one. Furthermore, within the Church which is called 'a boy' because of the phase it is at, and which is by nature such that it soon becomes wayward, the Lord is present at first, both with those who teach and those who learn. But after a while they dissociate themselves from Him, as is also represented by the brothers throwing Joseph into the pit and selling him.

[2] Every Church which begins with faith is like this, but a Church beginning with charity is different. A Church that begins with faith is controlled solely by the understanding, and the understanding by that which has been inherited, namely self-love and love of the world. These loves induce the understanding to gather texts from the Word which support their desires, and to give its own interpretation to those which do not support them. It is different in the case of a Church which begins with charity. This Church is controlled by good, the Lord being within that good. For good which is the good of charity and love is a mediator between the Lord and faith; and unless it is there as a mediator between them no spiritual communication is possible. Without that intermediary He cannot possibly flow into faith. If evil exists there instead of good it drives away the Lord and casts aside or else perverts everything that is the Lord's and so the whole of faith; for faith comes from Him through good.