10361. For this is holy to you. That this signifies that from this are all the good and truth which make the church, is evident from the signification of “holy,” as being all that, and only that, which proceeds from the Lord (see n. 9479, 9680, 9820), thus the good of love and the truth of faith, for these are what proceed from the Lord. That these make the church with men, and heaven with the angels, can be seen from the fact that love and faith are the essentials of the church, because they conjoin men and angels with the Lord; the good of love conjoining their will, and the truth of faith their understanding; thus all that appertains to them.

8772. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the sons of Israel. That this signifies influx for the receiving of truths in good, is evident from the signification of “speaking,” when by the Divine, as being influx (see n. 2951, 5481, 5743, 5797, 6152, 6291, 8128, 8660). That it denotes for the receiving of truths in good, is because it is said of the sons of Israel, by whom is signified the spiritual church, and the spiritual church is with those who are in good wherein are truths. How the case is with good wherein are truths shall be briefly told. He who knows the formation of good from truths, knows the veriest secrets of heaven, for he knows the secrets of the formation of man anew, that is, of the formation of heaven or of the Lord’s kingdom with him. All Christian good, or spiritual good, has in itself the truths of faith, for the quality of this good is from the truths which are of faith. Good which has not its quality from the truths of faith is not Christian good, but natural good, which does not give eternal life. The reason is that natural good has in it only natural life, which life is not unlike the life of beasts, for they also are in good when they are gentle; but beasts cannot receive spiritual life. From this it is plain that spiritual life is acquired solely by means of the truths of faith.

[2] This life, namely, spiritual life, is first acquired by knowing the truths which are of faith, afterward by acknowledging them, and finally by believing them. When they are only known, they are as it were at the gate; when they are acknowledged, they are in the entrance hall; but when they are believed, they are in the inner chamber. Thus they advance from exteriors toward interiors successively. In the interior man is good, which is continually flowing in from the Lord, and there conjoining itself with truths, and making them to be faith and afterward to be charity. This good attracts truths to itself, for it has a longing for them, in order that through them it may procure for itself a quality and thus emerge.

[3] When therefore these truths have been conjoined with good, then the man has been regenerated: for then he no longer looks from truths at what is to be believed and what is to be done, but from good, because he has been imbued with truths, and has them in himself; nor does he care for truths from any source than those which he himself can see from his own good; and he continually sees more, because they are produced therefrom like offspring from their parents. These offspring are from such a marriage of good and truth as is called “the heavenly marriage.” The truths which are thence produced have in them good, because they have been born from this. These enter good successively, and enlarge it, and perfect it, and this to eternity. From all this also it is evident how the case is with the two states of the man who is being regenerated (concerning which above, n. 7992, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701 also n. 8516, 8539, 8722).

9031. And healing he shall heal him. That this signifies restoration, namely, by means of interpretation, is evident. For if the things which are in the literal sense of the Word are looked at interiorly, they all agree together. This is circumstanced like that which is said in the Word about the sun, that it rises and sets, when yet it does not rise or set; but such an appearance is presented to the inhabitants of the earth, because the earth rotates every day around its axis. This natural truth lies hidden in the former, which is according to the appearance to the external sight. If it had been said in the Word contrary to this appearance, the common people would not apprehend it, and what the common people do not apprehend they do not believe. The case is similar with the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord, concerning which it is also said that it “rises,” but in hearts, when man is being regenerated; and also when he is in the good of love and faith; and that it “sets” when man is in evil and in the consequent falsity. And yet the Lord is continually in His rising, from which also He is called the “Sunrise,” or “East,” and He is never in any setting; nor does He turn Himself away from man, but man turns himself away from Him. From this arises the appearance that the Lord turns away His face and also brings evil; and therefore it is also so said in the Word. This likewise is the truth, but apparent truth, thus it is not in conflict with the former. From all this it can now be seen what is meant in the internal sense by “healing he shall heal,” namely, the restoration of spiritual truth, which is effected by means of a right interpretation of the memory-truth, or that of the literal sense of the Word.

[2] The case is similar with every truth of the literal sense, for in the natural light, which is that of the sensuous man, this appears just as it is expressed in the Word, because the literal sense is natural, and is for the sensuous man. But when the same is presented in the light of heaven, it then appears according to the internal sense; for this sense is spiritual, and is for the heavenly man, because those things which are of natural light vanish away in the light of heaven; for natural light is like shade or cloud, and heavenly light is like the glory and the brightness when the cloud is taken away. And therefore also the literal sense of the Word is called “a cloud,” and the internal sense “glory” (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 4391, 5922, 6343, 8106, 8443, 8781).

[3] By “healing he shall heal” is signified in the spiritual sense to restore, because disease and sickness signify the infirmity of the internal man, which infirmity exists when he is sick in respect to his life, which is the spiritual life; thus when he turns aside from truth to falsity, and from good to evil. When this is the case, the spiritual life sickens; and when he wholly turns himself away from truth and good, it dies; but this death is called “spiritual death,” which is damnation. As this is the case with the life of the internal man, therefore such things as relate to diseases and death in the natural world are said in the Word of the diseases of the spiritual life, and of its death. So also the cures of diseases, or healings, as in Isaiah:

Jehovah smiteth Egypt, smiting and healing; whence he turneth himself unto Jehovah, and He shall be entreated for them, and shall heal them (Isaiah 19:22).

Surely He was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and in His wound we are healed (Isaiah 53:5);

speaking of the Lord.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Return, ye perverse sons, I will heal your backslidings (Jeremiah 3:22).

Behold, I will cause to come up to it cure and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth (Jeremiah 33:6).

Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain hast thou multiplied medicines; there is no healing for thee (Jeremiah 46:11).

And in Ezekiel:

By the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that, cometh up the tree for food, whose leaf falleth not, neither is the fruit consumed; it springeth up again in its months, because the waters thereof go forth out of the sanctuary; therefore the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for medicines (Ezekiel 47:12).

“The fruit which shall be for food” denotes the good of love and charity which is for the nourishment of the spiritual life; “the leaf which shall be for medicine” denotes the truths of faith which are for the refreshment and restoration of that life. (That “fruit” denotes the good of love and of charity, see n. 3146, 7690; and that “leaf” denotes the truth of faith, n. 885)

[5] As diseases and sicknesses, and also healings and medicines, are not said in the Word of the natural life, but of another life which is distinct from the natural life; it is therefore plain to him who gives some consideration to the matter, that man has another life, which is that of his internal man. They who have gross thoughts with respect to the life of man, believe that he has no other life than that of the body, which is the life of the external or natural man. They wonder what the life of the internal man may be, and even what the internal man is. If they are told that that life is the life of faith and charity, and that the internal man is man’s spirit, which lives after death, and which is essentially the man himself, they wonder still more. And such of them as live only for the body, and not for the soul, thus who are merely natural men, have no apprehension whatever of what is said about the life of faith and charity, and about the internal man, because their thought is merely from natural light, and not at all from spiritual light. Wherefore also after death they remain gross in respect to thought, and live in the shadow of death, that is, in falsities from evil; and they are wholly in thick darkness, and blind to the light of heaven.