8080. And every firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem. That this signifies that the truths of faith are not to be ascribed to the Lord, but the goods of faith, is evident from the signification of the “firstborn,” as being faith (see n. 352, 2435, 6344, 7035, 8042); from the signification of “sons,” as being truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373); and from the signification of “redeeming,” as being to give something else in its place (as above, n. 8074, 8078). That it denotes that these are not to be ascribed, follows from the full meaning of these words: “and every firstborn of man among thy sons thou shalt not cause to pass over (that is, shalt not sacrifice), but shalt redeem.” “Not to cause to pass over” denotes not to ascribe (as above, n. 8074, 8078.) From all this it is evident that by “every firstborn of man among thy sons thou shalt redeem” is signified that the truths of faith are not to be ascribed to the Lord, but something else in their place; that this is the good of faith can be seen from the fact that by the “firstborn” in general is signified the good of faith (as above, n. 8042, 8043); but that when it is said “the firstborn of man among his sons” it denotes the truth of faith; for there is the truth of faith, and there is the good of faith.

[2] That the good of faith, or charity, is this something else which is to be ascribed to the Lord instead of the truths of faith, can also be seen from the fact that the firstborn of the sons of Israel were not accepted; but in their place the Levites, and this for the reason that by Leviticus was represented the good of faith, or charity (3875, 4497, 4502, 4503); that the tribe of Leviticus was accepted in place of all the firstborn, see Numbers 3:12-13, 40; 8:16-18. That the good of faith is this something else which is to be ascribed to the Lord, can also be seen from the fact that faith is not faith without charity (n. 654, 724, 1162, 1176, 2231, 2343, 2349, 2429, 2839, 2982, 3146, 3325, 3849, 3865, 4368, 5351, 7039, 7082-7084, 7342, 7950); and also from the fact that the good of faith is actually in the first place, but the truth of faith only apparently so (n. 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930, 4977, 5351, 6256, 6269, 6272, 6273); thus that charity is the firstborn (n. 3325, 3494, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930).

[3] That regarded in itself the truth of faith without its good is not to be ascribed to the Lord, that is, given to Him, or acknowledged to be from Him, is because no truth of faith has any life in it until it becomes the good of faith; and the truth of faith becomes the good of faith by willing it and doing it (n. 7835). When therefore it becomes the good of faith, then it is acknowledged by the Lord as being His, for the Lord gives faith mediately through its good. Moreover with the man of the spiritual church all the truth of faith becomes the good of faith when he is being regenerated, and then for the first time it becomes the Lord’s.

[4] The law concerning the redemption of the firstborn of man was delivered to the end that they should not sacrifice their sons, which came into use among the nations with whom there remained the statutes of the Ancient Church, which was a representative church, but which in course of time were wholly adulterated. That the firstborn were to be sanctified to God was one of the statutes of the Ancient Church; but by “sanctifying” they began to understand sacrificing. The descendants of Jacob also inclined to do likewise; and therefore this law was unfolded before them; and to prevent their doing this the Levites were accepted in place of the firstborn, as has been said. In the spiritual world this law was unfolded according to its correspondent sense, which is that the truths of faith are not holy, thus are not to be sanctified or ascribed; but the goods of faith. Moreover sanctification was afterward understood in this manner-that they should give or present the firstborn to Jehovah, and offer a sacrifice for him, according to these words in Luke:

When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. As it was written in the law of the Lord, that every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice (Luke 2:22-24).

3570. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat. That this signifies the conjunction of good first; and that “he brought him wine and he drank” signifies the conjunction of truth afterwards, is evident from the signification of “eating,” as being to be conjoined and appropriated in respect to good (concerning which just above, n. 3568); and from the signification of “wine,” as being the truth which is from good (n. 1071, 1798); and from the signification of “drinking,” as being to be conjoined and appropriated in respect to truth (n. 3168). In regard to the circumstance that the good of the rational, represented by Isaac, conjoins with itself good first, and truth afterwards, and this through the natural, which is Jacob, the case is this: When the natural is in the state in which it is outwardly good and inwardly truth (n. 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563), it then admits many things which are not good, but which nevertheless are useful, being means to good in their order. But the good of the rational does not conjoin and appropriate to itself from this source anything but that which is in agreement with its own good;, for good receives nothing else, and whatever disagrees, it rejects. The rest of the things in the natural it leaves, in order that they may serve as means for admitting and introducing more things that are in agreement with itself.

[2] The rational is in the internal man, and what is there being transacted is unknown to the natural, for it is above the sphere of its observation; and for this reason the man who lives a merely natural life cannot know anything of what is taking place with him in his internal man, that is, in his rational; for the Lord disposes all such things entirely without the man’s knowledge. Hence it is that man knows nothing of how he is being regenerated, and scarcely that he is being regenerated. But if he is desirous to know this, let him merely attend to the ends which he proposes to himself, and which he rarely discloses to anyone. If the ends are toward good, that is to say, if he cares more for his neighbor and the Lord than for himself, then he is in a state of regeneration; but if the ends are toward evil, that is to say, if he cares more for himself than for his neighbor and the Lord, let him know that in this case he is in no state of regeneration.

[3] Through his ends of life a man is in the other life; through ends of good in heaven with the angels; but through ends of evil in hell with devils. The ends in a man are nothing else than his loves; for that which a man loves he has for an end; and inasmuch as his ends are his loves, they are his inmost life (n. 1317, 1568, 1571, 1645, 1909, 3425, 3562, 3565). The ends of good in a man are in his rational, and these are what are called the rational as to good, or the good of the rational. Through the ends of good, or through the good therein, the Lord disposes all things that are in the natural; for the end is as the soul, and the natural is as the body of this soul; and such as the soul is, such is the body with which it is encompassed; thus such as the rational is as to good, such is the natural with which it is invested.

[4] It is known that the soul of man commences in the ovum of the mother, and is afterwards perfected in her womb, and is there encompassed with a tender body, and this of such a nature that through it the soul may be able to act in a manner suited to the world into which it is born. The case is the same when man is born again, that is, when he is being regenerated. The new soul which he then receives is the end of good, which commences in the rational, at first as in an ovum there, and afterwards is there perfected as in a womb; the tender body with which this soul is encompassed is the natural and the good therein, which becomes such as to act obediently in accordance with the ends of the soul; the truths therein are like the fibers in the body, for truths are formed from good (n. 3470). Hence it is evident that an image of the reformation of man is presented in his formation in the womb; and if you will believe it, it is also the celestial good and spiritual truth which are from the Lord that form him and then impart the power to receive each of them successively, and this in quality and quantity precisely as like a man he looks to the ends of heaven, and not like a brute animal to the ends of the world.

[5] That the rational as to good through the natural conjoins with itself good first, and truth afterwards, which is signified by Jacob’s bringing dainties and bread to Isaac and his eating, and bringing him wine and his drinking, may also be illustrated by the offices which the body performs for its soul. It is the soul which gives to the body to have appetite for food, and also to enjoy the taste of it, the foods being introduced by means of the delight of appetite and the delight of taste, thus by means of external good; but the foods which are introduced do not all enter the life, for some serve as menstruums for digesting; some for tempering; some for opening; some for introducing into the vessels; but the good foods selected are introduced into the blood, and become blood, out of which the soul conjoins with itself such things as are of use.

[6] The case is the same with the rational and the natural: to appetite and taste correspond the desire and the affection of knowing truth; and knowledges correspond to foods (n. 1480); and because they correspond, they are circumstanced in like manner; the soul (which is the good of the rational) gives to long for and to be affected with the things which are of memory-knowledge and of doctrine, and introduces them through the delight of the longing and the good of the affection. But the things which it introduces are not all such as to become the good of life; for some serve as means for a kind of digesting and tempering; some for opening and introducing; but the goods which are of life it applies to itself, and thus conjoins them with itself, and from them forms for itself truths. From this it is evident how the rational disposes the natural, in order that it may serve it as the soul or what is the same, may serve the end, which is the soul, to perfect itself, that it may be of use in the Lord’s kingdom.