9276. And what they leave the wild animal of the field shall eat. That this signifies conjunction through these with those who are in the delights of external truth, is evident from the signification of “what they leave,” namely, the needy of the people, as being what they have left behind, thus that which is behind them, but here it denotes through them, because the subject treated of is the conjunction of the church with those who are in few truths, and here its conjunction with those who are in the delights of external truth (that the conjunction of the church with these latter is effected through the former, will be seen below); from the signification of “eating,” as being communication and conjunction (as just above, n. 9275); and from the signification of “the wild animal of the field,” as being those who are in the delights of external truth. For in the Word “beasts” signify the affections of truth and good, beasts of the flock the affections of internal truth and good, and beasts of the herd the affections of external truth and good; but “wild animals” such affections as belong to the most external truth; for relatively to internal affections these affections are wild animals, for they are affections of the sensuous things which are called pleasures and delights. The reason why they are delights of truth, and not so much of good, is that the sensuous things which communicate immediately with the world through the body, derive scarcely anything from spiritual good, for it is bodily and worldly loves that chiefly reside therein. (That in the Word “beasts” signify the affections of truth and good, see n. 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 776, 1823, 2180, 2781, 3218, 3519, 5198, 9090; that beasts of the flock signify the affections of internal truth and good, and those of the herd the affections of external truth and good, n. 5913, 8937, 9135; and that sensuous things communicate with the world and are the most external, n. 4009, 5077, 5089, 5094, 5125, 5128, 5767, 6183, 6201, 6310, 6311, 6313, 6315, 6318, 6564, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624, 6844, 6845, 6948, 6949, 7442, 7693, 9212, 9216.) From what was shown in these places the nature of man’s sensuous mind relatively to his more interior things can be known, namely, that it is like a wild animal.

[2] The subject treated of in this verse in the internal sense is those who are in the good of charity, and also those who are in few truths and yet long to be instructed, and afterward those who are in the delights of external truth. These three kinds of men constitute the church. Those who are in the good of charity constitute the internal of the church; those who are in few truths and yet long to be instructed, thus who from good are in the affection of truth, constitute the external of the church; but those who are in the delights of external truth are the most external, and constitute as it were the circumference, and conclude the church.

[3] The conjunction of heaven with the human race, that is, the conjunction of the Lord through heaven with man, is effected by means of those who are in the good of charity, thus by the good of charity; for in this good the Lord is present, because the Lord is this good itself, because it proceeds from Him. By means of this good the Lord conjoins Himself with those who are in the affection of truth, because the affection of truth is from good, and as before said good is from the Lord. Through these again the Lord is with those who are in the delights of external truth, for the delights with them are for the most part derived from the loves of self and of the world, and very little from spiritual good. Such is the communication of heaven with man, that is, such is the communication of the Lord through heaven with him; consequently such is the conjunction.

[4] That the communication and conjunction of the Lord with the human race is of this nature, can be seen from the fact that such is the influx with every man of the church. By “a man of the church” is meant one who from the Lord is in the good of charity, and from this in the truths of faith; for charity from which is faith is the very church itself with man, because charity and faith are from the Lord; for the Lord flows into this good, which is the man’s internal; and through it into the affection of truth, which is his external; and through this affection into the delights of external truth, which are in his uttermost external.

[5] As it is with the man of the church in particular, so also it is with the church in general, that is, with all who constitute the Lord’s church. The reason of this is that before the Lord the church universal is like a man, for before the Lord, His heaven, with which the church acts as a one, is as one man, as can be seen from what has been shown about heaven as a Grand Man at the end of many chapters of Genesis. And because this is so, the case is the same with a man of the church in particular; for a man of the church in particular is a heaven, a church, and a kingdom of the Lord in the least form.

[6] Moreover, the case with the church is the same as with man himself, in that there are in him two fountains of life, namely, the Heart and the Lungs. It is known that the first of his life is the heart, and that the second of his life is the lungs, and that from these two fountains live all things in man both in general and in particular. The heart of the Grand Man (that is, of heaven and the church) is constituted of those who are in love to the Lord and in love toward the neighbor, thus, abstractedly from persons, of the love of the Lord and the love of the neighbor. And the lungs in the Grand Man (that is, in heaven and the church) are constituted of those who from the Lord are in charity toward the neighbor and from this in faith, and thus, abstractedly from persons, of charity and faith from the Lord. But all the other viscera and members in this Grand Man are constituted of those who are in external goods and truths, thus, abstractedly from persons, of the external goods and truths through which internal truths and goods can be brought in. As then the heart first flows into the lungs and through these into the viscera and members of the body, so likewise the Lord flows through the good of love into internal truths, and through these into external truths and goods.

[7] From all this it can be seen that there must by all means be a church on earth; and that without it the human race would perish, because it would be like a dying man, when the lungs and heart cease to be moved. Wherefore it is provided by the Lord that there shall always be a church on the earth, in which the Lord has been revealed by the Divine truth which is from Him; and on our earth this Divine truth is the Word. At the present day scarcely anyone believes this to be so, because scarcely anyone believes that everything of man’s life is from the Lord through heaven. For men suppose that life is in themselves, and that this can subsist without any connection with heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, although this opinion is utterly false.

[8] From all this it is now evident how it is to be understood that conjunction is effected through the good of charity with those who are in few truths and yet desire to be instructed, and through these with those who are in the delights of external truth, which things are signified by “letting the land lie fallow and releasing it in the seventh year, and that then the needy of the people should eat, and what they left the wild animal of the field should eat.” But concerning the things above related, see what has been already shown, namely, that before the Lord heaven is like a man, and is therefore called the Grand Man (n. 1276, 2996, 2998, 3624-3649, 3741-3750, 4218-4228).

[9] (That it is the same with the Lord’s church, seeing that His kingdom on earth is the church, which acts as a one with His kingdom in the heavens, see n. 4060, 7396, 9216; also that a man of the church is a heaven and a church in particular, n. 1900, 1902, 3624-3631, 3634, 3884, 4292, 4523, 4524, 4625, 6013, 6057; that those who are in love to the Lord and in love toward the neighbor constitute the province of the heart in the Grand Man, and those who are in charity and thereby in faith from the Lord constitute the province of the lungs, n. 3635, 3883-3896; that everything of man’s life flows in from the Lord through heaven, n. 2536, 2706, 2886-2889, 2893, 3001, 3318, 3484, 3742, 3743, 4151, 5846, 5850, 5986, 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626, 6982, 6985-6996, 7004, 7055, 7056, 7058, 7147, 7270, 7343, 8321, 8685, 8701, 8717, 8728, 9109, 9110, 9216; that there is a connection of heaven with man, n. 9216; and that without a church on earth the human race would perish, n. 468, 637, 2853, 4545)

4151. And Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. That this signified that they were of the affection of interior truth, is evident from the representation of Rachel, as being the affection of interior truth (see n. 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819); and from the signification of “stealing,” as being to take away that which is dear and holy (see n. 4112, 4113, 4133). By Rachel stealing the teraphim, or Laban’s gods, as narrated above, was signified the change of state represented by Laban as to truth (see n. 4111); and here and in what follows, this change of state is further described, as resulting from the fact that after the good represented by Laban had been separated from the good which is “Jacob,” it came through this separation into another state; for those truths which when the goods had been conjoined had appeared to the good represented by Laban as its own, were now perceived as if they had been taken away. This is the reason why Laban made complaint concerning them, and why he searched in the tents and did not find anything. For the truths signified by the teraphim in a good sense (n. 4111), were not his, but belonged to the affection of truth which is “Rachel.”

[2] How the case herein is cannot be seen except from what happens in the other life; for the things which there happen near a man appear to him as if they were in him; and the case is nearly the same with the spirits in the other life. When societies of spirits which are in mediate good are in company with angels, it then appears to them exactly as if the truths and goods which belong to the angels are theirs, and indeed they know no otherwise. But when they are separated, they then perceive that this is not the case; and they therefore complain, as believing them to be taken away by those in whose company they have been. This is what is here signified in the internal sense by what is narrated concerning the teraphim.

[3] Speaking generally, the case is that no one ever has good and truth which is his own, but all good and truth flow in from the Lord, both immediately, and also mediately through angelic societies; and yet it appears as if the good and truth were the man’s, to the intent that they may be appropriated to him, until he comes into a state to know, and then to acknowledge, and at last to believe, that they are not his, but the Lord’s. Moreover it is known from the Word, and thereby in the Christian world, that all good and truth are from the Lord, and that nothing of good is from man; nay, the doctrinals of the church which are from the Word declare that man cannot even strive after good of himself, and thus cannot will it, and therefore cannot do it-for doing good is from willing good-and that all faith also is from the Lord; so that a man can have no faith at all unless it flows in from the Lord.

[4] These things are declared by the doctrinals of the church, and are taught by preachings. But that few, nay, very few, believe it to be so, may be seen from the fact that they suppose all life to be in themselves, and scarcely any think that life flows in. All man’s life consists in the faculty of being able to think and of being able to will; for if the faculty of thinking and willing is taken away, nothing of life remains. And the veriest life consists in thinking good and willing good, and also in thinking truth, and in willing that which we think to be true. As it is in accordance with the doctrinals of the church which are from the Word that these things are not of man, but of the Lord, and that they flow in from the Lord through heaven, those who possess any judgment and are able to reflect, might conclude therefrom that all life flows in.

[5] The same is the case with evil and falsity. According to the doctrinals from the Word, the devil is continually endeavoring to seduce man, and is continually inspiring evil; and therefore when anyone commits a great crime; it is said that he has suffered himself to be led astray by the devil. And this is the real fact, although few if any believe it; for as all good and truth are from the Lord, so all evil and falsity are from hell, that is, from the devil, for hell is the devil. From this we can also see that as all good and truth flow in, so also do all evil and falsity, and consequently also all the thinking and willing of evil. As these also flow in, all who have any judgment and are able to reflect, can infer that all life flows in, although it appears as if it were in man.

[6] That this is the case has frequently been shown to spirits who had come recently from the world into the other life. But some of them have said that if all evil and falsity also flow in, nothing of evil and falsity can be attributed to them, and they are not in fault, because these come from another source. But they received for answer that they had appropriated evil and falsity by believing that they think and will of themselves; whereas if they had believed as the case really is, they would not then have appropriated the evil and falsity, for they would have believed all good and truth to be from the Lord; and if they had believed this, they would have suffered themselves to be led by the Lord, and therefore would have been in a different state; and then the evil which entered into their thought and will would not have affected them, because not evil but good would have gone out of them; for it is not the things that enter in, but those which go out that affect us; according to the Lord’s words in Mark 7:15.

[7] Many can know this, but few believe it. Even those who are evil can know, but still not believe it, for they desire to be in what is their own, and they love this to such a degree that when they are shown that everything flows in, they come into anxiety and urgently entreat that they may be permitted to live in what is their own, insisting that if this should be taken away from them, they could live no longer. Such is the belief even of those who know. These things have been said in order that it may be known how the case is with societies of spirits which are in mediate good, when they are conjoined with others and when they are separated from them; namely, that when they are conjoined, they know no otherwise than that the goods and truths are their own, although they are not theirs.