3179. 'And they said, Let us call the girl and ask her personally' means consent solely of the affection for truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the girl' as an affection that has innocence within it, dealt with in 3067, 3110, in this case the affection for truth because Rebekah is meant, who is 'the girl' before she gives her consent, but 'Rebekah' once she has given it, as in what follows immediately after ('Rebekah' being the affection for truth, see 3077); and from the meaning of 'asking her personally' as perceiving whether it does consent. Thus it is consent solely of the affection for truth that is meant here. For the situation is this: Truth itself which is to be introduced into good acknowledges its own good because good acknowledges its own truth - and from this comes consent. It is however a consent inspired into truth by good, see above in 3161. With man it is in no way apparent that truth for its part consents when introduced and joined to good, that is, when a person is being regenerated, or that good for its part knows its own truth, and introduces and joins it to itself. Yet this is exactly what happens; for a person is totally unaware of the things that take place while he is being regenerated. If he were to know merely one of the thousands of things that occur he would be dumbfounded. There are countless, indeed an endless number of hidden ways by which a person is at that time being led by the Lord, only some of which shine from the internal sense of the Word.

[2] The Ancient Church formed for itself an idea of these things from marriages. That is to say, they formed that idea from a virgin's state before betrothal; from her state after she had been betrothed; from her state when she was to be given away in marriage, and after that when she had been given away, and finally when she bore children to her husband. ¹ The fruits of truth produced from good, or of faith from charity, they called children; and so on. Such was the wisdom of the Ancient Church. Their books were written in this style too, and the custom of writing in this fashion spread from them to the gentiles themselves. For by means of those things that exist in the world they wished to give expression to things in heaven; indeed from natural things they wished to see spiritual. But today that wisdom is entirely lost.

Footnotes:

3066. 'And the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water' means affections for truth, and instruction acquired through those affections. This is clear from the meaning of 'daughters' as affections, dealt with in 489-491, 2362; from the meaning of 'the men of the city' as truths, for in the Word the residents of a city are sometimes called 'the men of the city', sometimes 'the inhabitants of the city', truths being meant when they are called 'the men of the city', goods when they are called 'the inhabitants' - what 'men' means, see 265, 749, 915, 1007, 2517, what 'inhabitants' means, 2268, 2451, 2712, and what 'a city' means, 402, 2449, 2943; and from the meaning of 'drawing water' as receiving instruction, dealt with above in 3058. From all this it is evident that 'the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water' means affections for truth, and instruction acquired through those affections.

[2] No one is ever instructed through truths but through the affections for truth. For when truths are devoid of affection they do indeed flow as sounds into the ear but they do not pass into the memory. What causes them to pass into the memory and stay there is affection. For good that is the object of affection is like the soil into which truths are sown as seeds. But the quality of the soil, that is, the essential nature of the affection, determines the nature of that which is produced from the seed sown there. The end in view or the use dictates the essential nature of the ground - that is, of the affection - and so dictates the nature of that which is produced from the seed sown there. Or if you prefer, the love itself is what decides it, for love is to all things the end in view and the use. Nothing is considered to be an end in view and a use except that which is loved.