5129. Verses 14, 15. But remember me with thee when it is well with thee, and do mercy I pray with me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. For being carried off by theft I was carried away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the pit. "But remember me with thee," signifies the reception of faith; "when it is well with thee," signifies when there is correspondence; "and do mercy I pray with me," signifies the reception of charity; "and make mention of me unto Pharaoh," signifies communication with the interior natural; "and bring me out of this house," signifies deliverance from evils; "for being carried off by theft I was carried away," signifies that heavenly things were alienated by evil; "out of the land of the Hebrews," signifies from the church; "and here also have I done nothing," signifies innocence; "that they should put me into the pit," signifies rejection among falsities.

Read More

5130. But remember me with thee. That this signifies the reception of faith, is evident from the representation of Joseph, who says these things of himself, as being the Lord as to the celestial in the natural (see n. 5086, 5087, 5106); and from the signification of "remember me with thee," as being the reception of faith; for to remember and to be mindful of the Lord is from no other source than faith; hence "remember me with thee," denotes that he may receive faith. The case in regard to faith is this: he who receives and has faith is continually mindful of the Lord, even when he is thinking or speaking of other things, and also when he is discharging his public, private, or domestic duties, although he is not aware that he is then mindful of the Lord; for the remembrance of the Lord by those who are in faith reigns universally with them, and what reigns universally is not perceived, except while the thought is directed to it.

[2] This may be illustrated by various things with man. He who is in any love, whatever it may be, is continually thinking about whatever belongs to that love; and this although he is engaged in thought, in speech, or in action relative to other things. In the other life this is very evident from the spiritual spheres about everyone; for simply from these spheres it is known in what faith and in what love are all who are there, and this even though they are thinking and speaking of something entirely different (see n. 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1520, 2489, 4464); for that which reigns universally in anyone produces a sphere of the same, and displays his life before others. From this may be seen what is meant when it is said that we must be constantly thinking about the Lord, salvation, and the life after death. All who are in faith from charity do this, and therefore they do not think ill of the neighbor, and they have justice and equity in everything of their thought, speech, and action; for that which reigns universally flows into particulars and guides and governs them, because the Lord keeps the mind in such things as are of charity and the derivative faith and thus disposes everything in conformity therewith. The sphere of faith from charity is the sphere which reigns in heaven; for the Lord flows in with love, and through love with charity, consequently with the truths which are of faith; and from this they who are in heaven are said to be in the Lord.

[3] In what now follows the subject treated of is the rebirth of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part, and which is represented by the butler; and because its rebirth is treated of, the reception of faith is also treated of. For the sensuous, like the rational, is born again by means of faith, but by the faith into which charity flows. Unless charity flows into faith and gives it life, faith cannot reign universally; for what a man loves reigns, and not what he merely knows and holds in his memory...