6434. 'The blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors means that this Church will have spiritual good from the natural, but nor from the rational. This is clear from the representation of 'Joseph' as the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6417; from the representation of Israel, to whom 'father' refers here, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 5801, 5807, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833; from the representation in the highest sense of Isaac and Abraham, to whom 'ancestors' refers here, as the Lord's Divine Internal, 'Isaac' representing the Lord's Internal Divine Human or Divine Rational, 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3012, 3194, 3210, and 'Abraham' the Lord's Divine itself, toll, 3251, 3439, 4615 (though in the relative sense Abraham and Isaac represent the internal aspect of the Lord's kingdom and Church, 6098, 6185, 6276). From all this one may in some measure see the meaning of 'the blessings of your father will prevail over the blessings of my ancestors', which is that the spiritual Church will have good from the natural or external man but not from the rational or internal man; for the good of the member of the spiritual Church exists in the natural and does not go beyond it, whereas the good [of the member] of the celestial Church exists in the rational. No one can possibly know this meaning unless he knows what 'Israel' and what 'Isaac and Abraham' represent, also where the spiritual Church's good exists and from where it originates.

5807. 'And his father loves him' means that this truth exists joined to spiritual good from the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'love' as a joining together, dealt with below; from the representation of Israel, who here is the one who 'loves him', as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with in 4286, 4598; and from the representation of Benjamin, who is the one whom 'his father loves', as new truth, dealt with above in 5804, 5806. The existence of this truth joined to that good is what is meant by 'his father loves him'; and to this truth that good cannot fail to be joined since such truth has its origin in that good. This truth and good exist joined together like father and son, and also like the mental powers of will and understanding since all good has a place in the will and all truth in the understanding. When the will wills what is good this good is implanted in the understanding, where it is given a specific form fashioned according to the essential nature of that good. This form is truth; and as this new truth is born in that manner one can see that it cannot fail to be joined to that good.

[2] As regards love, that it is a joining together, it should be recognized that love is a spiritual joining since it is a joining together of two people's minds, that is, of their thought and will. From this it is evident that regarded essentially love is something purely spiritual, the natural counterpart of which is the delight that comes with companionship and that kind of togetherness. Essentially love is the harmony that results from changes of state and from variations in the forms or substances from which the human mind is built. If that harmony originates in the heavenly form it is heavenly love. From this one may see that love cannot have its origin in anything other than genuine Divine love, which is received from the Lord. This means that love is the Divine flowing into forms and so arranging them that their changes of state and variations may exist in the harmony of heaven.

[3] But loves contrary to this - self-love and love of the world - are not joinings together but separations. They do, it is true, appear to be joinings together; but this is due to one person considering another to be one with him as long as he co-operates with him in making gain, acquiring important positions, or in taking revenge on and persecuting those who oppose him. But as soon as one ceases to show the other person favour, they separate. Heavenly love is different. This is totally averse to doing good to another for selfish reasons; rather it does it for the sake of the good which resides with that other person and which he receives from the Lord, consequently for the sake of the Lord Himself, the Source of that good.