9135. 'Or member of the flock' means or it is interior truth and good. This is clear from the meaning of 'member of the flock' as spiritual truth and good, thus interior truth and good, dealt with in 6016, 6045, 6049. Some places in the Word use the expression 'flocks', while others use 'members of the flock'. In the internal sense interior forms of good, and truths derived from them, are meant by 'flocks', whereas interior truths, and forms of good springing from them, are meant by 'members of the flock'. No one however can know the difference between them unless he knows the nature of a person's two states, the prior state and the subsequent state, when he is being regenerated. The prior state is one in which he is led by means of the truths of faith to the good of charity; the subsequent state is one in which he is governed by the good of charity and from this by the truths of faith. The prior state brings a person into the Church in order that he may come to have the Church within him; and when he comes to have the Church within him he is in the subsequent state. Forms of good and truths residing with him in the subsequent state are meant by 'flocks', but truths and forms of good residing with him in the prior state are meant by 'members of the flock'. This explains why at this point truths are mentioned first and forms of good second. Regarding the two states of a person who is being regenerated, or what amounts to the same thing, who comes to have the Church within him, see 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 8772, 8995, 9088, 9089.

[2] Those forms of good and those truths are called exterior which are in the external or natural man, and those are called interior which are in the internal or spiritual man. The reason why the latter are interior and the former exterior is that heaven is the source of the internal man's wisdom, but the world is the source of the external man's; for heaven is present with a person internally and the world externally. The words 'whether it is ox or ass, or member of the flock' are used to mean all exterior good and truth, and all interior truth and good. Furthermore the development of good in the external man is towards truth, in the internal man from truth towards good, in keeping with Divine order in heaven. ¹

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7923. 'And you shall not go out, no one out of the door of his house' means that they must remain governed by good that is not to be viewed from truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'not going out' as remaining; and from the meaning of 'house' as good, dealt with in 2233, 2234, 2559, 3652, 3720, 7833-7835, 7848. From this it is evident that 'you shall not go out, no one out of the door of his house' means that they must remain governed by good. The reason why good that is not to be viewed from truth is meant is that remaining in the house is being governed by good, but 'going out of the door of the house' is forsaking good for truth; for good resides on the inside, but truth on the outside, 7910. What viewing truths from good is, see 5895 (end), 5897, 7857. Viewing good from truth is viewing the inside from the outside; but viewing truth from good is viewing the outside from the inside. For as has just been stated, good resides on the inside but truth on the outside. Viewing truth from good is in keeping with order, for the path all Divine influx takes is through interiors into exteriors. But viewing good from truth is not in keeping with order. While a person is being regenerated therefore, order is being turned the right way round, and good or charity is seen to occupy the first place and truth or faith the second.