9812. 'Eleazar and Ithamar' means in respect of the Divine Natural. This is clear from the fact that they were Aaron's younger sons; and since Aaron represents the Lord in respect of the Divine Celestial his sons too represent the Lord in respect of succeeding levels of what is Divine. That is, the older ones represent the Lord in respect of the Divine Spiritual, while the younger represent Him in respect of the Divine Natural. For this is the order in which the levels of Divine Good in the heavens follow one another; indeed the actual heavens in which such levels of good exist follow one another in that same order. Also one level of good comes into being and is also kept in being through another.

[2] Divine Celestial Good, which composes the third or inmost heaven, is the good of love to the Lord. Divine Spiritual Good, which composes the middle or second heaven, is the good of charity towards the neighbour. And Divine Natural Good, which composes the first or lowest heaven, is the good of faith and obedience. Divine Natural Good includes public good, which is called justice among all citizens, and also private good, which consists of all the virtues that constitute honourable behaviour.

[3] Those three levels of good follow one another in order as end, cause, and effect. And just as the end is the soul of the cause, and the cause is the all and the efficient power in the effect, so is celestial good the soul of spiritual good, and spiritual good the all in natural good. That which is the soul in another, and that which is the all there, are inwardly present as effort is within motion or as will is within action. The fact that the will is the soul and the all in action is self-evident, for when will ceases, so does action. All this makes clear what the situation is with the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural; that is to say, inmostly within natural good there must be celestial good, that is, the good of love to the Lord, which also is the good of innocence.