10021. And thou shalt bring near the bullock. That this signifies the state of application of the natural or external man, such as he is in his infancy, is evident from the signification of “bringing near,” as being presence and conjunction (see n. 9378, 9997, 10001), and also application (n. 8439); here application for purification and the reception of good and truth from the Divine, for this is signified by this sacrifice and by sacrifices in general; and from the signification of “the bullock,” as being the good of charity and of innocence in the natural or external man (n. 9391), thus the external or natural man as he is in his infancy, for then he is in the good of innocence; and while he is in this state, he is also in a state of application for purification and for the reception of good and truth from the Divine.

[2] As these are the things now treated of in the internal sense, it must be told how the case herein is. When a man is being regenerated, which takes place when he comes to mature age, he is then first led into a state of innocence; but into a state of external innocence, almost like that of little children, whose innocence is external innocence that dwells in ignorance. During the man’s regeneration, this state is the plane of the new life, and moreover the man is then like an infant; for when he is being regenerated, he is conceived anew, is born, becomes an infant, and grows up to maturity, which is effected by means of truth implanted in good; and insofar as he then comes into genuine good, so far he comes into the good of internal innocence, which innocence dwells in wisdom. And as the regeneration of man is an image of the glorification of the Lord, it is clear that the Lord glorified Himself, that is, made His Human Divine, in this way; for in the internal sense in this chapter the subject treated of is the Lord’s glorification (n. 9985). But as the glorification of the Lord in respect to His Human transcends the understanding, therefore in order that it may in some measure be apprehended, it is unfolded by means of its image or likeness. These things have been premised in order that it may be known what is meant by purification, and by the reception of good and truth, and by their conjunction, which are signified by sacrifices in general, and here in particular by the sacrifices of the inauguration of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. That the regeneration of man is an image of the glorification of the Lord, see n. 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688: That the innocence of infants is external innocence, and dwells in ignorance, n. 2305, 2306, 3495, 3504, 4563, 4797, 5608, 9301: That the man who is being regenerated is conceived anew, is born, becomes an infant and a child, and grows up to maturity, n. 3203: That the innocence of infancy is a plane, n. 2780, 3183, 3994, 4797, 5608, 7840: That the knowledges of truth and good are implanted in the innocence of infancy as their plane, n. 1616, 2299, 3504, 4797: That the innocence of the regenerate is internal innocence, and dwells in wisdom, n. 1616, 3495, 3994, 4797, 5608, 9301, 9939: The difference between the external innocence of little children, and the internal innocence of the wise, n. 2280, 4563, 9301: That such is the case can be seen from the education and regeneration of little children in the other life, n. 2289-2309: That all the good of the church and of heaven has innocence in it, and that without innocence good is not good, n. 2736, 2780, 6013, 7840, 7887, 9262: What innocence is, n. 3994, 4001, 4797, 5236, 6107, 6765, 7902, 9262, 9936.

6013. And their babes. That this signifies together with those things which are of innocence, is evident from the signification of “babes,” as being innocence (see n. 3183, 5608). It is said “with those things which are of innocence,” also “which are of charity,” for the reason that without innocence and charity, natural truth cannot be caused to advance by spiritual truths; for in order that truth may be genuine, it must derive its essence and life from charity, and charity from innocence. For the interior things which vivify truth succeed one another in the following order: inmost is innocence; next lower is charity; and lowest is work of charity from truth or according to truth. The reason why they succeed one another in this order is that they so succeed one another in the heavens. For the inmost or third heaven is the heaven of innocence; the middle or second heaven is the heaven of charity, within which is innocence from the inmost heaven; and the ultimate or first heaven is the heaven of truth, within which is charity from the second heaven, and within this is innocence from the third. All these must be in the same order with man, for in respect to his interiors man is formed after the image of the three heavens; and therefore a regenerated man is a heaven in particular or in the least form. But in respect to his exteriors, especially the body, he is formed after the image of the world, and therefore he was called by the ancients a microcosm. For the ear is formed after the whole nature of air and sound; the eye after the whole nature of ether and light; the tongue after the whole sense of the solvent and fluent parts in liquids; the nostrils after the sense of things fluent in the atmosphere; the touch after the sense of cold and heat, also of things of the earth that have weight; and so on. As man’s external senses are formed after the whole image of the natural world, so his internal senses, which belong to his understanding and will, are formed after the whole image of heaven, to the end that every man may be in particular a recipient of Divine good from the Lord, as heaven is in general.