393. Before any explanation is given of the meaning of these words in the internal sense the situation with faith needs to be known. The Most Ancient Church was such that it did not acknowledge any faith except that which derived from love. Indeed they were unwilling even to mention faith, for everything that was a matter of faith they perceived by means of love from the Lord. Such also by nature are celestial angels, spoken of already. But because it was foreseen that the human race would not be able to receive such, and that people would separate faith from love to the Lord and would construct out of faith a doctrine standing on its own, provision was also made for it to be separated. Nevertheless it was separated in such a way that by means of faith, that is, by means of cognitions of faith, people might receive charity from the Lord. Consequently the experience of coming to know, that is, of listening, would now come first, and then, through coming to know or listening, charity, that is, love to the neighbour and compassion, would be conferred on them by the Lord. This charity would be not only inseparable from faith but also its primary constituent. That which now took the place of the perception which had existed with the Most Ancient Church was conscience. Once conscience had been acquired by means of faith allied to charity, it then dictated not what things were true but the fact that they were true - true because the Lord has in the Word said they were. Of such a nature did the Churches after the Flood become, for the most part; such was the Primitive Church, that is, immediately after the Lord's Coming. And this is the feature that distinguishes spiritual angels from celestial.