9723. And thou shalt make its pans, to take away its ashes. That this signifies what is to be removed after uses, is evident from the signification of “the pans for taking away the ashes,” as being the things that effect removal after uses. For “ashes” signify such things in man’s natural or external memory as remain after uses, and have to be removed so as not to prevent other things from taking their place, by means of which there may again be uses. The “pans” denote such things as effect removal, because by them the ashes are taken away. That it may be known what is signified by the “ashes” which remained upon the altar after a burnt-offering or sacrifice, it shall first be told how the case is with the things which remain in man after uses. From his infancy up to the end of his life in the world, a man is being perfected as to intelligence and wisdom; and if it is well with him, as to faith and love. Memory-knowledges chiefly conduce to this use. These knowledges are imbibed by hearing, seeing, and reading, and are stored up in the external or natural memory. These are of service to the internal sight or understanding as a plane of objects, from which it may choose and bring out such things as promote wisdom. For by virtue of its light, which is from heaven, the interior sight or understanding looks into this plane, that is, into this memory, which is below itself; and from the various things which are there, it chooses and brings out such as agree with its love. These it calls forth to itself from thence, and stores them up in its own memory, which is the internal memory (concern (2469-2494) ing which see n. 2469-2494). From this is the life of the internal man, and its intelligence and wisdom. The case is the same with the things that belong to spiritual intelligence and wisdom, which are those of faith and love. Memory-knowledges, that is to say, memory-knowledges from the Word, or from the doctrine of the church, which are called the knowledges of truth and good, are in like manner of service for implanting in the internal man these things of spiritual intelligence and wisdom. When these knowledges are stored up in the memory of the external man, they are in like manner of service as objects to the sight of the internal man, which sees from the light of heaven, and from them chooses and brings out such things as are in agreement with its love; for the internal man sees nothing else in the external man. For the things which a man loves, he sees in the light, but the things which he does not love, he sees in the shade; the latter he rejects, but the former he chooses.

[2] From all this it can be seen how the case is with the truths of faith and the goods of love with the man who is being regenerated; namely, that the good of love chooses for itself suitable truths of faith, and by their means perfects itself; and thus the good of love is in the first place, and the truth of faith in the second, as often shown before (n. 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4925, 4977, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273). After the memory-knowledges, or the knowledges of good and truth, in the memory of the external man, have performed this use, they as it were vanish from this memory. They are circumstanced like those matters of instruction which have served the man from infancy as means for perfecting his moral and civil life; after these have performed this use, and the man has acquired life therefrom, they perish from the memory, and remain only as a matter of practice or use. In this way man learns to speak, to think, to discriminate, and to judge, to lead a moral life, and to conduct himself becomingly; in a word, he learns languages, good manners, intelligence, and wisdom.

[3] The memory-knowledges which have served for these uses are signified by “the ashes which are to be removed;” and the knowledges of truth and of good, through which the man has gained spiritual life, after they have served this use, that is, after they have become of the life, are also signified by “the ashes of the altar which were to be removed.” But when they are being removed, they are first placed near the altar, and afterward are carried forth outside the camp into a clean place. Meanwhile the fire of the altar is always burning for the use of a new burnt-offering or sacrifice, according to the process described by Moses in Leviticus:

The priest shall cause the burnt-offering to ascend upon the hearth upon the altar all night even unto the dawn. Afterward he shall put on his linen clothing and his linen breeches, and he shall take up the ashes, into which the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar. Afterward he shall put off his garments, and shall put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes outside the camp into a clean place. But the fire upon the altar shall be burning, it shall not be put out; the priest shall burn wood on it at the dawn of every day; and he shall arrange the burnt-offering upon it, and shall burn upon it the fat of the sacrifices. The fire shall be burning upon the altar continually; it shall not be put out (Leviticus 6:9-13);

all these particulars involve arcana of heaven, and signify the Divine things of the worship of the Lord from the good of love; what “the ashes” consequently signify has been told above. That something heavenly is signified by “the ashes of the altar” can be seen by everyone who reflects, as that when the priest was to take away the ashes from the altar, he was to put on clothing of linen and breeches of linen, and afterward in other garments was to carry them outside the camp, and lay them in a clean place. Nothing in the Word is worthless, not even any word, thus not any circumstance of this procedure.

[4] From all this it can in some measure be seen what is signified by “the ashes of the red cow that was burnt,” by means of which the water of separation and of cleansing was prepared, of which we read in Numbers 19:2-10, 17; and what is signified by “ashes” in the opposite sense, namely, what is condemned that remains after the burning from the fire of self love. This is signified by “the ashes” which they carried on the head, and in which they rolled themselves when bewailing their sins (Jeremiah 6:26; Ezekiel 27:30; Jonah 3:6).

4925. That behold his brother came out. That this signifies the truth of good, is evident from the signification of a “brother,” as being what is kindred from good (n. 3815, 4267), thus the truth of good; the truth of good is that truth which is from good, or that faith which is from charity. The subject treated of here in the internal sense is primogeniture in the case of those who are being reborn or regenerated by the Lord, consequently primogeniture in the church. It has been a matter of dispute from the most ancient times which is the firstborn, whether the good which is of charity, or the truth which is of faith; and as good does not appear while man is being reborn and made a church, but conceals itself in the interior man, and manifests itself only in a certain affection which does not fall clearly into the sensation of the external or natural man, until he has been reborn—whereas truth makes itself manifest, because it enters through the senses and stores itself in the memory of the external or natural man—therefore many persons have fallen into the error of thinking that truth is the firstborn, and at last even into that of thinking that truth is the essential of the church, and so essential that truth, which they call faith, has power to save without the good which is of charity.

[2] From this one error very many others have been derived, which have infected not only doctrine, but also life; as for instance that no matter how a man lives, provided he has faith he is saved; that even the most wicked are received into heaven if in the hour of death they make profession of such things as are of faith; and that everyone can be received into heaven merely from grace, whatever his life has been. In consequence of holding this doctrine they at last do not know what charity is, nor do they care for it; and finally they do not believe there is such a thing, nor consequently that there is a heaven or a hell. The reason is that faith without charity, or truth without good, teaches nothing; and the more it recedes from good, the more foolish it renders a man. For it is good into which and through which the Lord flows and gives intelligence and wisdom, thus a higher mental view, and also perception as to whether a thing be so or not so.

[3] All this shows how the case is in regard to primogeniture—it actually belongs to good, and to truth only apparently. This then is what is described in the internal sense by the birth of Tamar’s two sons, for by the “double-dyed” which the midwife bound upon the hand is signified good (see n. 4922); by “coming out first” is signified priority (n. 4923); by “drawing back his hand” is signified that good concealed its power, as was said just above; by his “brother coming out” is signified truth; by “thou hast broken upon thee a breach” is signified the apparent separation of truth from good; by his “brother coming out afterward” is signified that good is actually prior; and by “that had the double-dyed upon his hand” is signified acknowledgment that it is good; for good is not acknowledged to be prior until after the man has been reborn, for he then acts from good and from it regards truth and its quality.

[4] These are the things which are contained in the internal sense, which teaches how the case is with good and truth in the man who is being born anew, namely, that good is actually in the first place, but truth apparently; and that good does not appear to be in the first place while the man is being regenerated, but becomes manifestly so when he has been regenerated. But these things need not be further explained here, because they have been explained before (see n. 3324, 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4244, 4247, 4337). That from ancient times it has been a matter of controversy whether primogeniture belongs to good or to truth, or whether to charity or to faith, has also been shown above (n. 2435).

[5] As the Lord in the supreme sense is the “Firstborn,” consequently love to Him and charity toward the neighbor, therefore it was ordained as a law in the representative church that the firstborn should be Jehovah’s, as we read in Moses:

Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the sons of Israel, in man and in beast, let them be Mine (Exodus 13:2).

Thou shalt cause to pass to Jehovah everything that openeth the womb, and everything that openeth the offspring of a beast, as many as shall be males to thee, shall be Jehovah’s (Exodus 13:12).

Everything that openeth the womb is Mine; therefore as to all thy cattle thou shalt give the male, that openeth of ox and small cattle (Exodus 34:19).

Everything that openeth the womb of all flesh, which they shall bring to Jehovah, of men and of beasts, shall be thine; nevertheless every first born of man shalt thou surely redeem (Numbers 18:15).

Behold I have taken the Levites from the midst of the sons of Israel, instead of every firstborn that openeth the womb of the sons of Israel; that the Levites may be Mine (Numbers 3:12).

[6] As that which opens the womb is the firstborn, therefore where the word “firstborn” is mentioned, it is also said “that which openeth the womb;” in order that good may be signified. That this signifies good is evident from the particulars in the internal sense, especially from what is related of Tamar’s sons-that Zerah opened the womb with his hand, by whom good is represented, as is evident from the double-dyed upon his hand (n. 4922). Moreover, the “womb,” which is said to be “opened,” is where good and truth are, consequently the church (n. 4918); and to “open the womb” is to give power that truth may be born.

[7] As the Lord alone is the Firstborn—for He is good itself, and from His good is all truth—therefore in order that Jacob, who was not the firstborn, might represent Him, he was permitted to buy the primogeniture from Esau his brother; and because this was not sufficient, he was called Israel, in order that by this name he might represent the good of truth; for Israel in the representative sense is the good which comes by means of truth (n. 3654, 4286, 4598).