3688. 'The sister of Nebaioth, as a wife in addition to the wives he had' means an affection for celestial truth more internally. This is clear from the meaning of 'a sister' as intellectual or rational truth, dealt with in 1495, 2508, 2524, 2556, 3386; from the representation of 'Nebaioth' as the good that constitutes the spiritual Church, dealt with in 3268 - therefore 'the sister of Nebaioth' means the affection for celestial truth, or what amounts to the same, the affection for spiritual good; from the meaning of 'wives' or the daughters of Heth as affections for truth from a non-genuine source, dealt with in 3470, 3620-3622, 3686, and from the meaning of 'taking a wife' as being brought into association or joined together. From all these meanings it is evident that these words, together with those that come immediately before them, mean the joining together of the good represented by 'Esau' with truth from a Divine source, thus with the affection for celestial truth more internally.

[2] The actuality of these matters is indeed as stated already, yet they are of such a nature that they can hardly be understood at all as long as the most general features of the subject remain unknown. Furthermore they are the kind of things in which the world of today does not have any interest, for it is earthly things, not heavenly ones, in which it is interested, for the reason, as people even say, that they see and know earthly things, but they do not see or know the heavenly. Now because what is contained in the internal sense of the Word has to be not merely disclosed but also explained, let an example be taken to show what the expressions the truth of good, which 'Esau' represents, and the good of truth, which 'Jacob' represents, are used to mean. At the same time the example will clarify the point that until a person has been regenerated the good of truth in relation to the truth of good exists inversely, but after he has been regenerated they are joined together. This example will accordingly illustrate the matters stated so far.

[3] Take as our example the kind of person who can be regenerated; for the Lord foresees that he can be, and because He foresees it He also makes provision for it. At the outset while a young child he does not yet know what the works of charity towards the neighbour are, for he does not yet know what charity is or what the neighbour is. Consequently because he knows from the Word that one ought to give to the poor and that anyone who does so has his reward in heaven he helps beggars more than all others for he believes that these are the poor who are meant in the Word. He does not take into account the fact that the kind of people who beg on the streets for the most part lead godless and even criminal lives, despise everything associated with Divine worship, and surrender themselves completely to laziness and inactivity. Nonetheless a person in the first stages of regeneration helps those people with all his heart. These good actions are examples of the good which springs from external truth and with which his regeneration begins. The truth of good, which is more internal, flows accordingly into those actions, fashioning these as directed by the cognitions which the child knows?

[4] At a later stage however, when more enlightened, he is willing to do good to all he believes to be poor and needy, but he still makes scarcely any distinction between the godly poor and needy and the ungodly poor and needy. He believes that all are to be regarded and rated equally as the neighbour. But when he becomes more enlightened in these matters he does make a distinction and provides help only to the good and upright. He knows that providing help to the evil does harm to many, for by the aid and support these get he gives them the opportunity to harm others. At length when he is being regenerated he does not do good to any but the good and the godly, for at this point he is not stirred by an affection simply for the person he does good to but by the good itself residing with that person. And since the Lord is present within all good and godliness he accordingly bears witness also, through his affection towards what is good, to his love to the Lord. When he is at heart moved by charity such as this he can become regenerate.

[5] From this it is evident that in relation to this state his previous state was an inverse one, that is to say, he believed that to be good which was not in fact good. Nevertheless at the beginning of regeneration he still had to put into practice that which, though not in fact good, he believed to be so since what he knew went no further and since more interior good that flows from charity was not able to enter into any truth apart from that of which he actually knew. It is also evident that more interior good was always present and fashioning it, and this good could not have manifested itself previously until by means of cognitions he had been gradually enlightened about the nature of goods and truths. From this it is evident to some extent what is meant by the good of truth, which 'Jacob' represents here, what is meant by the truth of good, which 'Esau' represents, and that at first these exist inversely but subsequently are joined together.

2556. 'Also she is truly my sister' means that rational truth possessed such a relationship. This is clear from the representation of 'Sarah when a sister' as rational truth, dealt with in 2508, and also from what follows next where the subject is the birth of the rational and its consequent relationship. In general it should be kept in mind that all things which exist with a truly rational, that is, regenerate, person - all that constitutes his affections, his perceptions, and his thoughts - are interconnected as in blood-relationships and relationships by marriage; for those things have been arranged in such a way that they mutually regard one another as families do which make up one house, and this in a most clear and distinct manner. Consequently when they reappear they do so in accordance with the relationships in which they exist. This ordered relationship with one another they receive from heaven - that is, from the Lord by way of heaven - flowing into them. With a person who is truly rational, that is, regenerate, everything has been arranged into order such as exists in heaven; and this ordered arrangement of everything within him comes as a result of heaven flowing into him. From that ordered arrangement within him a person possesses a power of thought, deduction, judgement, and reflection, which is so marvellous that it surpasses all human knowledge and wisdom, infinitely surpassing the conclusions which by analysis human effort draws from these sources. The reason these facts have not been known up to now is that people have not believed that all the things which constitute their affections, perceptions, and thoughts flow in - evil ones from hell, decent ones from heaven. Thus these have a connection with the things that are outside of them; yet the fact of the matter is that man, as regards his spirit, is joined to those outside of him in such a way that if he were deprived of that connection he would not remain alive for a single instant. This may also be recognized from the consideration that anything unconnected cannot possibly exist, and that anything unconnected perishes in an instant.