4676. Because he was the son of his old age. That this signifies its own life in it, is evident from the signification of “old age,” as being the putting off of a former state and the putting on of a new one, also as being newness of life (see n. 3492, 4620). For “old age” in the internal sense does not signify old age, because the internal man, or man’s spirit, does not know what old age is; but as the body or external man grows old, the internal passes into newness of life, man’s spirit being perfected by age as his bodily powers diminish. This is still more so in the other life, where those who are in heaven are continually brought by the Lord into more perfect life, and at last into the bloom of youth, even those who have died in a good old age. From this it may be seen that by “old age” in the internal sense, is signified life. What is meant by its own life being in it has been explained above (n. 4667).

[2] It was said that man’s spirit or internal man does not know what old age is, and yet as before said it is this spirit that thinks in the body, and from it the body has its life. The reason why this thought of the spirit cannot be communicated to the body, and the man thus know that he lives after death, is that so long as his spirit remains in the body he cannot think otherwise than from the principles which his natural man has become imbued with; and when the principle and persuasion is that only the body lives, and that when this dies everything of man dies, the influx of this reality is not received. But still the influx manifests itself by the fact that most persons are solicitous about their burial and eulogies after death, and some about their reputation then, for which reason they erect magnificent monuments for themselves, that their memory may not perish. Into such things is turned the influx from heaven in respect to the permanence of life with those who in other respects have no belief in it. For without this influx they would be totally indifferent to all that concerns their memory after death.