4029. 'So it was, whenever those came on heat - those of the flock which came together first' means the things that were spontaneous. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming on heat' as an intense desire, and the effect that resulted from this, dealt with above in 4018, 4019; from the meaning of 'the flock' as truth and good, also dealt with above; and from the meaning of 'those coming together first' as things that are spontaneous. This meaning of 'those which came together first' - namely things that are spontaneous - is evident from the sequence of thought in the internal sense. It is in addition evident from the consideration that anything done from affection is spontaneous, very much so when done from an intense desire, meant by 'coming on heat' - hence the use twice in this verse of the expression 'coming on heat'. And the meaning of 'those which came together first' is still further evident from the derivation of this expression in the original language as becoming joined together through deepest love, as well as from the subject here being the joining of truth and good in the natural which is effected only through that which is spontaneous, that is, done in freedom. From all this it may be seen that 'whenever those came on heat - those of the flock which came together first' or 'wherever those from the flock which came together first came on heat' means truths and goods which are spontaneous, that is, which are the product of freedom, or what amounts to the same, of deepest affection.

A person's feeling of freedom involves everything that is in keeping with his love or affection, see 2870.

Every joining together of truth and good is effected in freedom and none under compulsion, 2875, 3145, 3146, 3158.

Consequently all reformation and regeneration is effected through freedom, 1937, 1947, 2876-2881.

If it were possible to effect it through compulsion all would be saved, 2881.

4018. 'In front of the flocks; and they came on heat as they came to drink' means even to the point of an intense desire in the affection for truth that a joining [to the goods and truths within the natural] might be effected. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming on heat as they came to drink' as an intense desire. The meaning of 'being on heat' as an intense desire is self-evident; and for the meaning of 'coming to drink' as the affection for truth, see immediately above in 4017. The reason why 'in front of the flocks' means that a joining to the truths and goods within the natural might be effected is that this phrase implies seeing and consequent arousal of affection, for this is the manner in which spiritual things are joined to a person. What is more, every implantation of truth or good in a person, as well as every joining of them to him, is effected by means of affection. The truths and goods which a person has learned but for which he has no affection do indeed enter the memory, but they are lodged there as insecurely as a feather on top of a wall which is blown off by the slightest puff of wind.

[2] As regards the things that enter the memory the position is this: Those for which there is no affection pass into the unlit parts of the memory when they enter it, whereas those for which there is affection pass into the light there. Things present in that light are seen and appear clearly and distinctly when any matter of a similar nature is brought up, but not so the things lying around in the unlit parts. Such is the effect that affection belonging to love has. From this it may be seen that all implanting of truth and joining of it to good is effected through affection; and the greater that affection, the stronger the tie joining the two together.

[3] The intense desire of the affection is in this case inmost affection. But truths are not capable of being implanted and joined to good except by means of affections for truth and good, which affections well up from charity towards the neighbour and love to the Lord as their sources. But evils and falsities are implanted by means of affections for evil and falsity, and these affections well up from self-love and love of the world as their sources. This being so, and the subject at this point in the internal sense being the joining of good and truth within the natural man, mention is therefore made here and in what follows of the flock being on heat when they came to drink, by which such considerations are meant.