28. In the work itself, named THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, it has been shown that by the two trees, the one of "life" and the other of the "knowledge of good and evil," being placed in the garden of Eden, is signified that free-determination in spiritual things was given to man (n. 466-469); to which must be added that without such free-determination man would not be a man, but only a figure and semblance; for his thought would be without reflection, consequently without judgment, and thus in Divine things, which are the things of the Church, he would have no more power of turning himself, than a door without a hinge, or, with a hinge, bolted with a steel bar; and his will would be without decision, consequently no more active with respect to justice or injustice than a tombstone, beneath which lies a dead body. That man's life after death, and the immortality of his soul, is owing to the gift of this free-determination, and that this is the "likeness of God," has been proved in the work itself-as also above.

[2] Yea, man, that is, his mind, without this would be like a sponge which imbibes water in great abundance but is not able to discharge it, in consequence of which both would decompose,-the water into foulness, and the sponge into slime. Consequently, the Church with such a person would not be a Church, and thus a temple wherein the worship of God is performed; it would be like the den of some wild beast under the root of a lofty tree which sways to and fro overhead; except, only, that it would be able to take something therefrom, and apply itself to some other use than lying in tranquillity under it. Moreover, without free-determination in spiritual things, man would be blinder in all and each of the things of the Church, than a bird of night in the light of day, but more sharp-sighted than such a bird in the darkness of night; for with his eyelids he would close his eyes, and dim their sight to the truths of faith, but would raise his eyelids, open his eyes, and expand their sight like an eagle, to the falsities of faith. Free-determination in spiritual things arises from man walking, and living his life in the midst between heaven and hell; from heaven operating into him from above, and hell from beneath; and from the option given to man of turning himself either to higher or to lower things, thus either to the Lord or to the Devil.

9061. 'He shall send him away free for the eye' means that it cannot serve the internal man any longer. This is clear from the meaning of 'sending away free' as releasing from service; and from the meaning of 'for the eye which he had destroyed in the slave' as because of the truth of faith that has been wiped out in the external or natural man. For 'the eye' means the understanding part of the mind and therefore the truth of faith, 9051, 9058; 'destroying' means wiping out, 9060; and 'male slave' means the external or natural man, 9058. The nature of all this cannot be known by anyone unless he knows about the nature of the internal man's relationship with the external man. The internal man cannot live a spiritual life unless the external man is in agreement, which being so a person cannot be regenerated unless the natural man also is regenerated. From this it follows that if the truth of faith in the natural or external man has been wiped out the latter cannot serve the internal man any longer.

[2] It is like the relationship between outward sight and inward sight. If outward sight has been impaired it can no longer serve inward sight; for if objects are distorted by outward sight, internal sight can gain only a distorted vision by means of it. Or it is like the situation with all other parts of the body that are controlled by the will, such as the arms, hands, fingers, and feet. If these are deformed, then the will can perform only clumsy actions by means of them. It is similar with the natural or external man's service to the internal man. If the factual truths in the external or natural man have been distorted or wiped out, the internal man cannot see the truth, and so cannot think about it and perceive it except in a distorted or false manner. From all this it is evident why the natural man must be regenerated if a person is to be regenerated. On these matters see also what has been shown previously in 3286, 3321, 3469, 3493, 3573, 3620, 3623, 3679, 4588, 4618, 4667, 5165, 5168, 5427, 5428, 5477, 6299, 6564, 8742-8747, 9043.