5122. 'The three shoots are three days' means continuous derivatives even to the final one. This is clear from the meaning of 'three' as a single period and the continuity of it from start to finish, dealt with in 2788, 4495; from the meaning of 'shoots' as derivatives, dealt with in 5114; and from the meaning of 'days' as states, dealt with in 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850. From all this it follows that 'the three shoots are three days' means the state in which the sensory power represented by 'the cupbearer' undergoes rebirth, from the first to the final degrees of it, its consecutive derivatives being meant by 'shoots'.

[2] The states of rebirth which each sensory power and every aspect of the natural, as well as every aspect of the rational, pass through have from beginning to end their own progressive stages. When they attain any end they also begin at that point something else that is new; that is to say, they pass on from the end they had been striving to attain in a prior state to the realization of some further end, and so on after that. Eventually order is turned around, so that what has been last becomes first. This is what happens when a person is being regenerated, both in the case of his rational and in that of his natural. While his regeneration is taking place the phases that make up the first state are the stages of a movement from the truths of faith towards forms of the good of charity, when the truths of faith seemingly play the leading role while forms of the good of charity play a secondary one; for the truths of faith have the good of charity as their end in view. Phases like these continue until the person's regeneration is completed. Once this is completed charity then moves from the final place to the first in the line, and so becomes the point from which new states begin. These states develop in two directions - in an increasingly inward direction and also in a more outward one. Inwardly they move closer to love to the Lord, while outwardly they move closer first to the truths of faith, then to natural truths, and after that to truths as these are perceived by the senses. Then these three degrees of truths are brought into agreement one after another with forms of the good of charity and love present within the rational and so are brought into heavenly order.

[3] These are the matters that are meant by progressive stages of development and by continuous derivatives even to the final one. Such stages and derivatives are unending in the case of a person who is being regenerated. They begin when he is a young child and continue through to the final phase of his life in the world; indeed they continue for ever after that, though his regeneration can never reach the point when he can by any means be called perfect. For there are countless, indeed a limitless number of things to be regenerated, both within his rational and within his natural. Everything there has limitless shoots, that is, stages of development and derivatives that progress in both inward and outward directions. A person has no immediate awareness at all of this, but the Lord is aware of every particular detail and is making provision for it moment by moment. If He were to stop doing this for a single instant every stage of development would be thrown into confusion. For one stage looks to the next in an unending sequence and produces chains of sequences which never cease. From this it is evident that Divine Foresight and Providence exist in every particular detail, and that if they did not, or did so in a merely overall way, the human race would perish.

158. FROM THE ARCANA COELESTIA.

Merit and justice belong to the Lord alone (n. 9715, 9979). The merit and justice of the Lord consist in His having saved the human race by His own power (n. 1813, 2025-2026, 2027, 9715, 9809, 10019). The good of the Lord's justice and merit is the good which reigns in heaven, and is the good of His Divine love from which He saved the human race (n. 9486, 9979). No man can of himself become justice, nor claim it by any right (n. 1813). The quality of those in the other life who claim justice to themselves (n. 942, 2027). In the Word, the man to whom the justice and merit of the Lord are ascribed, is called "just;" and the man to whom his own justice and merit are ascribed, "unjust" (n. 5069, 9263). Whoever is once just from the Lord, will be continually just from Him; for justice never becomes man's own, but is continually the Lord's (n. 3686). They who believe in the justification taught in the church, know little of regeneration (n. 5398).

Man is so far wise as he ascribes all goods and truths to the Lord, and not to himself (n. 10227). As all good and truth which are good and truth are from the Lord, and nothing is from man, and as good from man is not good, it follows that merit belongs to no man, but to the Lord alone (n. 9975, 9981, 9988). They who enter heaven put off all merit of their own (n. 4007). And they do not think of reward for the good they have done (n. 6478, 9174). They who think from merit so far do not acknowledge all things to be of mercy (n. 6478, 9174). They who think from merit, think of reward and remuneration, and therefore to will to merit is to will to be remunerated (n. 5660, 6392, 9975). Such persons cannot receive heaven in themselves (n. 1835, 8478, 9977). Heavenly happiness consists in the affection of doing good, without an end of remuneration (n. 6388, 6478, 9174, 9984). In the other life so far as anyone does good without an end of remuneration, so far happiness inflows with increase from the Lord; and it is immediately dissipated when remuneration is thought of (n. 6478, 9174).

Good is to be done without an end of remuneration (n. 6392, 6478); illustrated (n. 9981). Genuine charity is without anything meritorious (n. 2343, 2371, 2400, 3887, 6388-6393). Because it is from love, thus from the delight of doing good (n. 3816, 3887, 6388, 6478, 9174, 9984). "Reward" in the Word, means the delight and happiness in doing good to others without an end of reward, and this delight and happiness is felt and perceived by those who are in genuine charity (n. 3816, 3956, 6388).

They who do good for the sake of reward, love themselves and not the neighbor (n. 8002, 9210). "Mercenaries," in the spiritual sense of the Word, mean those who do good for the sake of reward (n. 8002). They who do good for the sake of remuneration, in the other life desire to be served, and are never contented (n. 6393). They despise the neighbor, and are angry at the Lord Himself, because they do not receive a reward, saying that they have merited it (n. 9976). They who have separated faith from charity, in the other life make their faith, and also the good works which they have done in an external form, thus for the sake of themselves, meritorious (n. 2371). Further particulars respecting the quality of those in the other life who have placed merit in works (n. 942, 1774, 1877, 2027). They are there in the lower earth, and appear to themselves to cut wood (n. 1110, 4943, 8740). Because wood, especially shittim wood, signifies the good of merit in particular (n. 2784, 2812, 9472, 9486, 9715, 10178).

They who have done good for the sake of remuneration, are servants in the Lord's kingdom (n. 6389-6390). They who place merit in works, fall in temptations (n. 2273, 9978). They who are in the loves of self and of the world, do not know what it is to do good without a view to remuneration (n. 6392).

9174. 'And when a man borrows something from his companion' means truth from a different stock. This is clear from the meaning of 'borrowing' as receiving truth from a source other than self, thus from a different stock. The reason why 'borrowing' or 'asking of another' has this meaning is that in the spiritual world the only forms of good asked of others or imparted by others are ones that belong to intelligence and wisdom. Many other forms, it is true, are presented to view, indeed countless others; but these are appearances arising from those that belong to intelligence and wisdom. From this it is evident that 'borrowing' means being taught by another and so receiving truths or knowledge of truth and good from a source other than self. But this matter needs further explanation. A person is said to receive truths from self when he deduces them from the truths already present with him, at which time he combines these already present with those he deduces. But when he does this he entertains no other truths than those which are subject to and accord with the same good; for good is what arranges truths into order and links them together. Good is like the soul in a person, and truths are like those things with which the soul clothes itself and through which it acts. Just as every single thing in a person derives its life from his soul, as is well known, so the truths of faith receive theirs from the good of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour. If that good does not compose a person's soul but the good of self-love or of love of the world, the person is not a human being but a wild animal. Furthermore in the next life he looks in the light of heaven like a wild animal, though in his own light, which becomes thick darkness when the light of heaven enters in, he looks like a human being. It should be borne in mind however that it is the Lord who arranges truths to accord with the good of a person's life.

[2] But a person is said to receive truths from another source when he is taught by another. If they are not subject to and do not accord with the good that governs him they are, it is true, stored in his memory among factual knowledge, yet they do not become his, that is, part of his belief, because they spring from a different stock. These truths are the subject in the present verse and the one that follows it.

[3] When 'borrowing' and 'lending' are mentioned in the Word, receiving instruction and giving it in a spirit of charity and affection are meant, as in Matthew,

Give to everyone asking from you, and from him desiring to receive a loan from you, do not turn away. Matthew 5:42.

Here it is evident that 'asking' was not used to mean asking, for the words are 'give to everyone asking'; neither were 'desiring a loan' and 'receiving it' so used. For if a person gave to everyone who asked, and also to everyone desiring to receive a loan, he would be deprived of all his goods. But since the Lord spoke from the Divine, 'asking' and 'desiring a loan', and 'giving' and 'receiving a loan', were used to mean the communicating of heavenly goods, that is, of cognitions or knowledge of good and truth. The nature of this communication is such that the more an angel stirred by charity and affection imparts them to another, the more the general good flows into him from heaven, that is, from the Lord, 6478. Thus an angel who gives to him who asks is not deprived of goods but enriched with them. The like applies when a person stirred by charity and affection does good to another. But real charity consists in giving to good people, and mistaken charity consists in giving to bad people the things they ask for and desire, 8120, as accords with these words in David,

The wicked borrows and does not repay, whereas the righteous shows mercy and gives. Psalms 37:21.

In Luke,

If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you have? Rather, love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing from it; then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Highest. Luke 6:34-35.

[4] Here also 'lending' is used to mean being stirred by charity and affection to do good, thus to communicate the good things of heaven, and also to impart the good things of the world, yet to impart them with the good things of heaven in view. Charity and affection are present when good things are communicated without thought of reward, but charity and affection are absent when they are communicated with reward as the end in view, see 2373, 2400, 3816, 3956, 4943, 6388-6390, 6392, 6393, 6478, 8002. 'Loving enemies' and 'doing good' to bad people are aspects of charity and affection; but enemies are loved and good is done to them when they are given instruction and also when by suitable means they are corrected by them, 8121.

[5] The exercise of charity is also meant by 'lending' in Moses,

If you obey the voice of Jehovah and take care to do His commandments, you shall lend to many peoples, but you shall not borrow. Deuteronomy 28:1, 12.

'Lending to many peoples' means abounding in forms of good that belong to intelligence and wisdom and communicating them from that abundance, while 'not borrowing' means having no need of them from others, since all things are imparted to a person by the Lord. In David,

A good man who has mercy and lends will maintain his cause ¹ in judgement; for he will never be moved. Psalms 112:5-6.

'Having mercy and lending' is used to describe the state of those governed by real charity. A similar description occurs in Psalms 37:21, in addition to other places.

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