6690. That He made them houses. That this signifies that they, namely, the true memory-knowledges in the natural, were disposed into the heavenly form, is evident from the signification of "house," as being the natural mind (n. 4973, 5023), thus the things of this mind, which here, because midwives are spoken of, are true memory-knowledges in the natural (n. 6687); therefore "to make houses for them" denotes to dispose them into order, and they are disposed into order when they are disposed into the heavenly form. That such is the signification of "making them houses" cannot easily be known, unless it is known how the case is with the true memory-knowledges of the natural mind; wherefore this shall be briefly told. The memory-knowledges in the natural have been disposed into continuous series; one series coheres with another, and in this way they all cohere together according to various affinities and propinquities; and are circumstanced not unlike families and their generations, for one is born from another, and so they become productive. Hence the things of the mind, which are goods and truths, were by the ancients called "houses," the good reigning therein being named "father," and the truth joined to this good, "mother," and the derivations "sons," "daughters," "sons-in-law," "daughters-in-law," and so forth. But the disposition of true memory-knowledges in the natural varies with every man; for the ruling love induces a form on them, this love being in the midst, and setting in order everything around it. Those things which most agree with it, it sets next to itself, and everything else in order in accordance with their agreement. From this the memory-knowledges have their form. If heavenly love rules, then all things are disposed there by the Lord into the heavenly form, which form is like that of heaven, thus is the form of the good of love itself. Into this form truths are disposed, which, when so disposed, make one with good; and then when the one is called forth by the Lord, the other is called forth; that is to say, when the things of faith are called forth, so are those of charity, and the converse. Such is the disposition that is signified by "God made houses for the midwives."