3190. 'And they rode on the camels' means the understanding part of the mind, raised up above natural facts. This is clear from the meaning of 'riding' as the understanding when raised up, dealt with in 2761, 2762, and from the meaning of 'camels' as general facts in the natural man, dealt with in 3048, 3071, and so natural facts. The implications of this are that when truth from the natural is raised up into the rational it is borne out of the sphere of worldly light into that of heavenly light - so to speak from the obscurity of night into the brightness of day. For the things that belong to the light of the world, in which all natural objects exist, dwell so to speak in night, compared with things belonging to the light of heaven; but things that belong to the light of heaven, in which all spiritual objects exist, dwell so to speak in daylight, compared with things belonging to the light of the world. Consequently when truth from the natural is raised up towards the rational, the person is raised up at the same time into intelligence and wisdom. All the intelligence and wisdom present with man comes from this source. These are the things meant by the understanding part, raised up above natural facts.

161. "'Remember therefore how you have received and heard.'" (3:3) This symbolically means that it should occur to them that all worship in its beginning is natural, and later becomes spiritual through truths from the Word and by a life according to them, and so on.

This is what is these words mean. They also mean that from the Word, from the teaching of the church drawn from the Word, and from sermons, everyone knows that truths must be learned, and that it is through truths that a person has faith and charity and everything else having to do with the church.

[2] The reality of this is something we showed many times in Arcana Coelestia (The Secrets of Heaven), which we published in London. See, for example, the following:

That faith is acquired through truths, nos. 4353 4977, 7178, 10367.

That love for the neighbor or charity is acquired through truths, nos. 4368 7623, 7624, 8034.

That love toward the Lord is acquired through truths, nos. nos. 10143 10153, 10310, 10578, 10645.

That intelligence and wisdom are acquired through truths, nos. 3182 3190, 3387, 10064.

That regeneration is accomplished through truths, nos. 1555 1904, 2046, 2189, 9088, 9959, 10028.

That power against evils and falsities and against hell is gained through truths, nos. 3091 4015, 10488.

That purification from evils and falsities is accomplished through truths, nos. 2799 5954, 7044, 7918, 10229, 10237.

That the church is formed by means of truths, nos. 1798 1799, 3963, 4468, 4672.

That heaven is formed through truths, 6690, 9832, 9931, 10303.

That the innocence of wisdom is attained through truths, nos. 3183 3494, 6013.

That conscience is formed through truths, nos. 1077 2053, 9113.

That order is achieved through truths, nos. 3316 3417, 3570, 4104, 5339, 5343, 6028, 10303.

The beauty of angels is due to truths, and so, too, is the beauty of people as regards their inner qualities which are those of their spirit, nos. 553 3080, 4985, 5199.

That a person is human as a result of truths, nos. 3175 3387, 8370, 10298.

Even so, however, all of these effects are occasioned by truths springing from goodness, and not by truths apart from goodness, goodness that comes from the Lord, nos. 2434 4070, 4736, 5147.

That all goodness comes from the Lord, nos. 1614 2016, 2904, 4151, 5147, 9981.

[3] But who gives any thought to this? Is it not a matter of indifference today whether someone knows this or that truth, provided he attends services of worship? Moreover, because few explore the Word in order to learn truths and live by them, people do not know anything about their worship as to whether it is lifeless or living, and yet it is according to the character of his worship that a person is himself dead or alive.

Of what value otherwise are the Word and doctrine drawn from it? Of what value otherwise are observance of the Sabbath and sermons, or theological treatises? Indeed, of what value otherwise are the church and religion?

That all worship in the beginning is natural, and later becomes spiritual through truths from the Word and a life according to them, is something people know. For a person is born natural, but is taught to become civic-minded and moral, and later spiritual, for thus he is reborn.

All of this is symbolically meant, then, by the directive, "Remember therefore how you have received and heard."