859. And no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand. That this signifies that the acknowledgment and confession of the Lord is possible with those only who are in faith from charity, or in truths from good, is evident from the signification of a new song, as denoting the acknowledgment and confession of the Lord, concerning which see just above (n. 857); and from the signification of a hundred and forty and four thousand, as denoting all who are in truths from good; thus those who are in faith from charity; and, in the abstract, truths from good, concerning which see above (n. 430). That these are meant by the hundred and forty and four thousand sealed out of all the tribes, is evident from the explanation of chapter vii., where the twelve thousand sealed out of each tribe, and the hundred and forty-four thousand out of all the tribes, are treated of. Also that they are those who acknowledge the Lord and His Divine Human, and therefore are amongst those who in the time of a Last Judgment are separated from the evil, and elevated into heaven by the Lord, and saved. For, as was said above, the subject treated of in this chapter is the separation of the good from the evil before the Last Judgment. Therefore the good who are separated from the evil, are meant by the hundred and forty and four thousand sealed out of all the tribes.
[2] From these things it is now evident, that by no man could learn the song save the hundred and forty and four thousand, is signified that the acknowledgment and confession of the Lord is possible among no others but those who are in faith from charity, or in truths from good. The reason why the acknowledgment and confession of the Lord is not possible in the case of others is, that no others can receive influx from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord. For the Lord with every one flows into his life; and the life of heaven is from love or charity, thus from good. And the quality of the love or charity is according to its formation by truths. Hence, then, is man's life. No other life, therefore, receives influx out of heaven from the Lord, and thence acknowledges and confesses the Lord in heart, but the life of faith from charity, or the life of truth from good.
The life of faith separated from charity, or the life of truth separated from good, is a merely natural life; which neither receives, nor can receive anything from heaven, because from that life no communication with heaven is possible; for communication with heaven is possible only by means of spiritual love, which is also called charity; thus by a life according to truths from the Word. This life has no existence with those who separate faith from charity, and believe that they shall be saved by faith alone, that is, by faith separated from good works.
Now, since by the hundred and forty and four thousand are meant those who are in truths from good, or who are in faith from charity, it is evident why those alone could learn the song; that is, could in heart acknowledge and confess the Lord, to be the only God, and the Trinity to be in Him.
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