104. Verse 4. But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity, signifies that they do not make such a life as those lived who were in the church at its beginning, the essential of knowledges. This is evident from the signification of "first charity," as being a life according to the knowledges of good and truth, such as those lived who were in the church at its beginning (of which presently); and from the signification of "leaving that charity," as being not to make it the essential of knowledges; for those who are eager for the knowledges of truth and good, and who believe that they are saved thereby, make knowledges essential, and not life, when yet a life according to knowledges is the essential. But as this essential of the church and of salvation is treated of in what follows, more will there be said about it. Charity is life, because all life in accordance with the precepts of the Lord in the Word is called "charity;" therefore to exercise charity is to live according to those precepts. (That this is so, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, in the chapter on Love to the Neighbor or Charity 84-106; and in the small work on The Last Judgment 33-39.) The life of the church at its beginning is here meant by "first charity;" for every church begins from charity, and successively turns away from it to faith alone or to meritorious works. (On which subject, and on charity, see what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that every church begins from charity, but in process of time turns away from it, n. 494, 501, 1327, 3773, 4689; thus to falsities from evil, and at length to evils, n. 1834, 1835, 2910, 4683, 4689; commonly to faith alone, n. 1834, 1835, 2231, 4683, 8094. A comparison of the church in its beginning and in its decline, with the rising and setting of the sun, n. 1837; and with the infancy and old age of man, n. Arcana Coelestia 10134; that the church is not with man until the knowledges of good and truth have been implanted in the life, n. 3310; that charity constitutes the church, n. 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1844, 1894; that the internal of the church is charity, n. 4766, 5826; that there would be one church, and not many, as at this day, if all were regarded from charity, although they might differ in respect to doctrinals of faith and rituals of worship, n. 1286, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2385, 2982, 3267, 3451; that worship of the Lord consists in a life of charity, n. 8254, 8256; that the quality of worship is according to the quality of charity, n. 2190.)

5482. 'And he took Simeon from them' means faith in the will. This is clear from the representation of 'Simeon' as faith in the will, dealt with in 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4507. The reason faith in the will was separated from them is that the intermediary, represented by 'Benjamin', was not yet present. For the inflow of truth from the Divine, represented by 'Joseph', goes through the intermediary into the good of faith, and then through this into the truth of faith; or what amounts to the same, it passes into the desire for truth, and then through this into the understanding of truth. Or what also amounts to the same, it passes into charity towards the neighbour, and then through this into faith. There is no other path along which it can flow in the case of one who has been regenerated; nor is there any other path along which it can do so in the case of angels.

[2] This may be compared to the sun flowing into objects on earth. When it reproduces these from their seed and renews them, it flows in with heat, as it does in springtime and summertime, and also with light, and so reproduces them. Absolutely nothing at all is reproduced by light alone, as is evident from those objects in wintertime. Spiritual heat is the good of love, and spiritual light is the truth of faith. Also, spiritual heat present in objects in the animal kingdom gives them their vital heat, while spiritual light gives them life, which springs from that vital heat.