Spiritual Meaning of EXODUS 23:14-19
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AC 9285. Verses 14-19. Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year. The feast of unleavened theirs shalt thou keep; seven days thou shalt eat unleavened things, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed of the month Abib; because in it thou comest forth out of Egypt; and My faces shall not be seen empty: and the feast of the harvest of the first fruits of thy works, which thou sowest in the field; and the feast of in gathering, in the going out of the year, when thou gatherest in thy works out of the field. Three time in the year shall every male of thine appear before the faces of the Lord Jehovih. Thou shalt not sacrifice the blood of My sacrifice upon what is fermented; and the fat of My feast shall not remain overnight until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother‘s milk. "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year," signifies the persistent worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of liberation from damnation; "the feast of unleavened things shalt thou keep," signifies worship and thanksgiving on account of purification from falsities; "seven days," signifies a holy state then; "thou shalt eat unleavened things," signifies the appropriation of good purified from falsities; "as I commanded thee," signifies in accordance with the laws of order; "at the time appointed of the month Abib," signifies from the beginning of a new state; "because in it thou camest forth out of Egypt," signifies liberation from infestation by falsities; "and My faces shall not be seen empty," signifies the reception of good by virtue of mercy, and thanksgiving; "and the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of thy works, which thou sowest in the field," signifies the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of the implanting of truth in good; "and the feast of in gathering, in the going out of the year, when thou gatherest in thy works out of the field," signifies worship from a grateful mind on account of the implantation of good therefrom, thus on account of regeneration and complete liberation from damnation; "three times in the year shall every male of thine appear before the faces of the Lord Jehovih," signifies the continual appearance and presence of the Lord, therefore also His appearance and presence in the truths of faith; "thou shalt not sacrifice the blood of My sacrifice upon what is fermented," signifies that the worship of the Lord from the truths of the church must not be commingled with falsities from evil; "and the fat of My feast shall not remain overnight until the morning," signifies the good of worship, not from man’s own, but from the Lord, always new; "the first of the firstfruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God," signifies that all truths of good and goods of truth are holy, because they are from the Lord alone; "thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother‘s milk," signifies that the good of innocence of the after state must not be conjoined with the truth of innocence of the former state.

AC 9286. Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year. That this signifies the persistent worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of liberation from damnation, is evident from the signification of "keeping a feast," as being the worship of the Lord from a glad mind on account of liberation from damnation (n. 7093); and from the signification of "three times in the year," as being a full state even to the end; for "three" signifies what is full from beginning to end (n. 2788, 4495, 7715, 9198), and a "year" signifies an entire period (n. 2906, 7839, 8070), here therefore a full and complete liberation. For by "the feast of unleavened things" is signified purification from falsities; by "the feast of harvest" the implanting of truth in good; and by "the feast of in gathering" the implanting of good thence derived, thus full liberation from damnation; for when a man has been purified from falsities, and afterward brought into good by means of truths, and finally when he is in good, he is then in heaven with the Lord, and consequently is then fully liberated.

[2] The successive steps of liberation from damnation are circumstanced like the successive steps of regeneration, because regeneration is liberation from hell and introduction into heaven by the Lord; for the man who is being regenerated is first purified from falsities, then the truths of faith are implanted with him in the good of charity, and lastly this good itself is implanted, and when this is done the man has been regenerated, and is then in heaven with the Lord. Wherefore by "the three feasts in the year" was also signified the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of regeneration. As these feasts were instituted for the perpetual remembrance of these things, therefore it is said the persistent" worship and thanksgiving, for the chief things of worship are to continually endure. The things which continually endure are those which are not only inscribed on the memory, but also on the life itself, and they are then said to reign universally with the man (n. 5949, 6159, 6571, 8853-8858, 8865).

AC 9287. The feast of unleavened things shalt thou keep. That this signifies worship and thanksgiving on account of purification from falsities, is evident from the signification of a "feast," as being the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of liberation from damnation (n. 9286); and from the signification of "unleavened things," as being purification from falsities; for by what is fermented is signified falsity, and therefore by what is unfermented or unleavened is signified good purified from falsities (n. 2342, 8058). Concerning this feast, which was also called the "passover," (n. 9292, 9294).

AC 9288. Seven days. That this signifies a holy state, is evident from the signification of "seven," as being what is holy (n. 395, 433, 716, 881, 5265, 5268); and from the signification of "days," as being states (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 5672, 5962, 7680, 8426, 9213).

AC 9289. Thou shalt eat unleavened things. That this signifies the appropriation of good purified from falsities, is evident from the signification of "eating," as being appropriation (n. 3168, 3596, 4745); and from the signification of "unleavened things," as being good purified from falsities (n. 9287).

AC 9290. As I commanded thee. That this signifies in accordance with the laws of order, is evident from the signification of "commanding," when by the Lord, as being the Divine truth proceeding from Him, for this contains and teaches the commandments of life and of worship. This Divine truth is order itself in the heavens; and truths are the laws of this order (n. 1728, 1919, 2258, 2447, 5703, 7995, 8700, 8988). From this it is evident that by "as I commanded thee" is signified in accordance with the laws of order.

AC 9291. At the time appointed of the month Abib. That this signifies from the beginning of a new state, is evident from the signification of "the month Abib," as being the beginning of a new state (n. 8053).

AC 9292. Because in it thou camest forth out of Egypt. That this signifies liberation from infestation by falsities, is evident from what has been said and shown about the going forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt, in (n. 7107, 7110, 7126, 7142, 7220, 7228, 7240, 7278, 7317, 8866, 9197), where it may be seen that by the sojourning of the sons of Israel in Egypt was signified the infestation by the infernals of the spiritual, that is, of those who were of the Lord’s spiritual church, and their protection by the Lord; and that by their "going forth out of Egypt" was signified their liberation from that infestation; in commemoration of which was instituted the passover, which was the feast of unleavened things (n. 7093, 7867, 7995).

AC 9293. And My faces shall not be seen empty. That this signifies the reception of good by virtue of mercy, and thanksgiving, is evident from the signification of "the faces of Jehovah," as being good, mercy, peace (n. 222, 223, 5585, 7599); and from the signification of "not being seen empty," or without a gift, as being a testification on account of the reception of good, and, thanksgiving; for the gifts that were offered to Jehovah signified such things as are offered by man from the heart unto the Lord, and are accepted by the Lord. Gifts are like all man‘s deeds, which in themselves are nothing but gestures, and regarded apart from the will are merely movements that are fashioned in various ways, and as it were jointed, not unlike the motions of a machine, and thus devoid of life. But man’s deeds regarded along with his will are not such motions, but are forms of the will shown before the eyes; for deeds are nothing else than testifications of such things as belong to the will; and they also have their soul or life from the will. And therefore the same can be said of deeds as of motions, namely, that there is nothing living in deeds except will, just as there is nothing living in motions except endeavor. That this is so, is also known to man; for he who is intelligent does not attend to a man‘s deeds, but only to the will from which, by which, and on account of which, the deeds come forth. Nay, he who is wise scarcely sees the deeds, but only the nature and amount of the will in them. The case is the same with gifts, in that it is the will in these which the Lord looks at; consequently by the gifts offered to Jehovah that is, to the Lord-are signified such things as are of the will, or of the heart. Man’s will is what is called in the Word his "heart." From all this it is also evident how it is to be understood that everyone will receive judgment in the other life according to his deeds or works (Matt. 16:27); namely, that it will be according to those things which are of the heart, and from this of the life.

[2] That such things are signified by the gifts offered to Jehovah, is plain from the Word, as in the following passages:--

From this it is evident that gifts offered to the Lord were testifications of such things as are offered by the heart, which are those of faith and of charity; being "reconciled to a brother" denotes charity toward the neighbor.

[3] Again:--

by "gold, frankincense, and myrrh" are signified all things of the good of love and of faith in the Lord; by "gold" those of the good of love; by "frankincense" those of the good of faith; and by "myrrh" those of both in things external. The reason why the wise men from the East offered these things, was that among some in the East there remained from ancient times the knowledge and wisdom of the men of old, which consisted in understanding and seeing heavenly and Divine things in those which are in the world and upon the earth. For it was known to the ancients that all things correspond and are representative, and consequently have a signification; as is also evident from the most ancient books and monuments of the Gentiles. Consequently they knew that gold, frankincense, and myrrh signify the goods which are to be offered to God. They also knew from their prophetic writings, which were of the Ancient Church (n. 2686), that the Lord was to come into the world, and that a star would then appear to them, of which star moreover Balaam, who also was one of the sons of the East, prophesied (Num. 24:17): (n. 3762); for a "star" signifies the knowledges of internal good and truth, which are from the Lord (n. 2495, 2849, 4697).

[4] In David:--

these things were said of the Lord; by "bringing a gift," and "bringing a present," is signified the good of love and of faith; for" Tarshish" signifies the doctrinal things of love and of faith (n. 1156); "Sheba and Seba" signify the knowledges of good and truth (n. 1171, 3240); "kings," the truths of the church (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148); and "nations," the goods of the church (n. 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 4574, 6005, 8771). From this it is evident what is meant by "all kings bowing themselves, and all nations serving Him."

[5] In Isaiah:--

he who is unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word may believe that these things were said of the Jews, and that these would therefore be brought to Jerusalem by the nations; but it is the goods of love and of faith in the Lord that are thus prophetically described; and the things meant by "a gift, horses, chariots, litters, mules, and dromedaries," upon which they were to be brought, are the intellectual, doctrinal, and memory things of truth and good, as is evident from the signification of horses, (n. 2760-2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6401, 6534, 8029, 8146, 8248); of chariots, (n. 5321, 5945, 8146, 8148, 8215); and of mules, (n. 2781).

[6] In Malachi:--

as by "a gift offered to Jehovah" is signified the good of love and of faith, therefore it is said that "they may bring to Jehovah a gift in righteousness," and that "then it will be sweet to Jehovah" "purifying the sons of Levi, and purging them as gold and silver" signifies the purification of good and truth from evils and falsities; "the sons of Levi" denote those who are in faith and charity, thus who are of the spiritual church (n. 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503); "Judah" denotes the good of celestial love, thus those who are in this good (n. 3654, 3881).

AC 9294. And the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of thy works, which thou sowest in the field. That this signifies the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of the implantation of truth in good, is evident from the signification of "a feast," as being the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving (n. 9286, 9287); from the signification of "the harvest," as being the fructification of truth, and thus the implantation of it in good; from the signification of "the first fruits," or the beginnings of the works, as being those things which are the last of instruction and the first of life; from the signification of "sowing," as being instructing (n. 9272); and from the signification of "the field," as being the church as to good, thus the good of the church (n. 2971, 3500, 3766, 7502, 9139, 9141). From all which it is evident that by "the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of thy works which thou hast sown in the field," is signified the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of the implantation of truth in good.

[2] That these things are signified by this feast, is evident from what was said above (n. 9286), namely, that three feasts were instituted on account of the liberation of man from damnation, thus on account of his regeneration; for by regeneration man is liberated from hell and introduced into heaven. And therefore the first feast, which was called "the feast of unleavened things," signifies purification from falsities; consequently this second feast signifies the implantation of truth in good; and the third feast, the implantation of good. For during man‘s regeneration he is first purified from the falsities which spring from the evil of the loves of self and of the world, which is effected by his receiving instruction concerning evil, hell, and damnation, and also concerning good, heaven, and eternal happiness; and by his thus suffering himself to be withheld from doing, willing, and thinking evils. When the soil has been thus prepared, then the truths of faith are sown, for before this they are not received. But the truths which are sown must be implanted in good, because they have no soil anywhere else, nor can they strike root anywhere else. They are implanted in good when the man wills the truth, loves it, and does it. This state of regeneration, or of liberation from damnation, is signified by this feast, which is called "the feast of the harvest of the first fruits of thy works;" for "harvest" signifies truths producing good.

[3] When truths have been implanted in good, the man is no longer led of the Lord by means of truths, but by means of good, which is effected when he wills good and does good from the affection of love, that is, from charity. This state of regeneration, or of liberation from damnation, is signified by the third feast, which is called "the feast of ingathering."

[4] These three feasts were also called "the feast of the passover," "the feast of weeks," and "the feast of tabernacles" (Exod. 34:18-23; Leviticus 23:1-44; Deut. 16:1-17). Similar things to those represented by these three feasts were represented by the bringing out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, by their introduction into the land of Canaan, and by their dwelling there. For by the bringing out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt the like was represented as by the first feast, which was called "the passover." That this is so may be seen from what has been shown concerning the passover (n. 7093, 7867, 7995); for the bringing out of the sons of Israel, on account of which this feast was instituted, signified the liberation of those who were of the spiritual church from the falsities whereby they were infested (n. 7240, 7317, 9197).

[5] And by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan the like was represented as by this second feast, which was called "the feast of the firstfruits of works," and also "the feast of weeks," namely, the implantation of truth in good; for "the land of Canaan" denotes the church in respect to good, thus the good of the church (n. 1607, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705, 4240, 4447, 4517, 5136, 6516); and abstractedly from persons "the sons of Israel" denote spiritual truths (n. 5414, 5879, 5951).

[6] The like was represented by the dwelling of the sons of Israel in the land of Canaan as by the third feast, which was called "the feast of the ingathering of the fruits of the earth, and of the ingathering from the threshing-floor and the wine-press," called also "the feast of tabernacles," namely, the implantation of good, and therefore life in heaven. From all this it is now evident why the three feasts were instituted, namely, that it was for the sake of the bringing out from hell of the human race, that wishes to receive new life from the Lord, and their introduction into heaven. This was effected by the Lord through His coming into the world.

AC 9295. That this second feast, which was called "the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of works," and also that "of the firstfruits of wheat," likewise "the feast of weeks," signifies the implantation of truth in good, is evident from its institution, concerning which in Moses:--Say unto the sons of Israel, When ye shall come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, ye shall bring the first sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest; and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And in that day ye shall offer a he-lamb for a burnt-offering; also the meat-offering and the drink-offering. But ye shall not eat bread, or parched ear, or green, until this selfsame day. Then ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day in which ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven entire sabbaths shall there be even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new gift to Jehovah. Ye shall offer out of your dwellings the bread of the wave-offering, it shall be baked leavened, as firstfruits to Jehovah. Ye shall offer besides the bread seven lambs, one young bullock, and two rams, for a burnt-offering, with their meat-offering, and their drink-offering (Lev. 23:10-18; Deut. 16:9-12).

AC 9296. And the feast of ingathering, in the going out of the year, when thou gatherest in thy works out of the field. That this signifies worship from a grateful mind on account of the implantation of good therefrom, thus on account of regeneration and complete liberation from damnation, is evident from the signification of "a feast," as being the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving (n. 9286, 9287, 9294), thus worship from a grateful mind; from the signification of "ingathering," when said of the implantation of truth in good, as being the implantation of good itself; from the signification of "the going out of the year," as being the end of the works; and from the signification of "when thou gatherest in thy works out of the field," as being the enjoyment and use of all things that have been implanted in good. For, by "the works" are signified not only the things of the field, but also those of the vineyard and the oliveyard, consequently those of the fruit of the earth; as is evident from the description of this feast in Moses:--

[2] As by this feast is signified the worship of the Lord from a grateful mind on account of the implantation of good, and thus on account of complete liberation from damnation, it shall first be explained what the implantation of good is. It has already been everywhere shown that man has two faculties of life, namely, the understanding and the will; and that the understanding is allotted to the reception of truth, and the will to the reception of good; for there are two things to which all things in the universe, both in heaven and in the world, bear relation namely, truth and good. From this it is also evident that these two make the life of man, and that the truth of faith and the good of charity make his new life, and that unless both of these have been implanted in man he has no new life. In what way the truth which is of faith is sown and implanted in man, is known in the church; but it is not as yet so well known in what way the good which is of charity is implanted. When he is a little child, man receives good from the Lord, and this good is the good of innocence, such as little children have. This good makes the beginning of the new will in man, and in the succeeding age it grows in accordance with his life of innocence with his companions and in accordance with his life of goodness and obedience toward his parents and masters, but still more with those who afterward suffer themselves to be regenerated. This the Lord foresees, and provides according to the state of life that follows; for in every present moment the Lord foresees evil, and provides good; and this He does from the first thread of life even to eternity. Afterward, when the man grows up and begins to think from himself, so far as he is then carried away by the delights of the loves of self and of the world, so far this new willing, or beginning of a new will, is closed; and so far as he is not carried away by these delights, so far it is opened, and is also perfected.

[3] But how it is perfected by the implantation of truth, shall now be told. This new will, which is from the good of innocence, is the dwelling place through which the Lord enters into man and excites him to will what is good, and from willing to do it. This influx works in the man in proportion as he desists from evils. From this he has the faculty of knowing, of perceiving, reflecting upon, and understanding moral and civil truths and goods in accordance with the delight of use. Afterward the Lord flows in through this good into the truths of doctrine of the church with the man, and calls forth from the memory such as are of service to the use of life, and implants these in the good, and so perfects the good. It is from this that the good with a man is wholly in accordance with the use of life. If the use of life is for the neighbor (that is, for the good of our fellow citizen, of our country, of the church, of heaven), and for the Lord, then this good is the good of charity. But if the use of life is only for self and the world, then this beginning of the new will is closed, and beneath it is formed a will from the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and from this an understanding is formed of falsities. This latter will is closed above and open beneath, that is, closed to heaven and open to the world. From all this it is evident how truths are planted in good, and form it; and also that when a man is good he is in heaven with the Lord; for as before said, the new will, in which is the good of charity, is the dwelling place of the Lord, and consequently is heaven in man; and the new understanding thence derived is as it were the tabernacle through which He comes in and goes out.

[4] Such our the things in general and in particular that were represented by the feast, which was called "the feast of the ingathering of the fruits of the earth," and "the feast of tabernacles." That this is the case, is evident from the institution of this feast, of which in Moses:--

[5] That a state of good implanted by means of truth by the Lord, thus a state of heaven in man, was represented by this feast, is plain from the internal sense of all the things here mentioned. For in this sense by "the fifteenth day of the seventh month" is signified the end of a former state and the beginning of a new state (that "fifteenth" has this signification, (n. 8400); as also "seventh," (n. 728, 6508, 8976, 9228); by "the fruit of the earth which had been gathered in" is signified the good of charity (n. 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847, 3146, 7690, 7692). The like is signified by "the gathering in from the threshing-floor denotes the good of truth (n. 5295, 5410); the wine of the winepress denotes truth from good (n. 6377); and the oil which is also of the press denotes the good from which is truth (n. 886, 3728, 4582, 4638). By "a sabbath on the first day, and a sabbath on the eighth day" is signified the conjunction of truth with good, and reciprocally of good with truth (that "the sabbath" denotes the conjunction of truth and good, see (n. 8495, 8510, 8890, 8893, 9274); that the eighth day was also called "a sabbath" is because by "the eighth" was signified the beginning of a new state (n. 2044, 8400).

[6] By "the fruit of the tree of honor," which they were to take on the first day, was signified festivity and joy on account of good implanted, wherefore the words follow, "that ye may be glad before Jehovah;" by "the branches of palm-trees" are signified the internal truths of this good (n. 8369); by "the bough of the dense (or interwoven) tree" are signified the external truths of good, that is, memory-knowledges (n. 2831, 8133); and by "the willows of the torrent," truths still more external, which are those of the bodily senses. By "the tabernacles in which they were to dwell seven days" is signified the holiness of love from the Lord and reciprocally to the Lord (n. 414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 3391, 4391, 4599); and that it denotes the holiness of union, (n. 8666). By "the homeborn of Israel" are signified those who are in the good of charity, thus abstractedly this good (n. 3654, 4598, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833, 6426, 7957); by the "gladness" of all then was signified joy such as those have who are in good from the Lord, thus such as those have who are in heaven; for he who is in the good of charity from the Lord is in heaven with the Lord. These are the things for the sake of which this feast was instituted.

AC 9297. Three times in the year shall every male of thine appear before the faces of the Lord Jehovah. That this signifies the continual appearance and presence of the Lord, therefore also His appearance and presence in the truths of faith, is evident from the signification of "three times in the year," as being what is complete and continual (n. 4495, 9198); from the signification of "to be seen," as being appearance and presence (n. 4198, 5975, 6893); from the signification of "a male," as being the truth of faith (n. 2046, 7838); and from the signification of "the faces," when said of Jehovah, that is, of the Lord, as being the Divine good of the Divine love, or mercy (n. 222, 223, 5585, 7599); and as the Divine good of the Divine love is Jehovah Himself, that is, the Lord, therefore by "appearing before the faces of the Lord Jehovah" the same is signified as by being seen by the Lord. Moreover it is the Lord who sees man, and makes Himself present with him, and gives to the man to see Him. Thus man does not see the Lord from himself, but from the Lord with himself.

[2] How it is to be understood that there is also a continual appearance and presence of the Lord in the truths of faith, shall be briefly told. The presence of the Lord with a man is in the good in him, because good makes his life; but not truth, except in so far as it is from good. From this it is that (n. 9296) the dwelling place of the Lord with a man is in the good of innocence; and therefore when a man has been regenerated, the Lord is present with him not only in good, but also in truths which are from good; from the truths then have life from good, and are the good in a form, by means of which the quality of the good can be perceived. These are the truths that make the new understanding of the man, which makes a one with his new will. For, as before said, all things bear relation to truth and to good, and the understanding of man is allotted to truths, but the will to the good from which are the truths. From this it is evident how it is to be understood that the appearance and presence of the Lord are then also in the truths of faith. These are the things which are signified by "three times in the year shall every male appear before the faces of the Lord Jehovah." It is said that "the male" shall appear, because by a "male" is signified the truth of faith; and therefore it is said "before the faces of the Lord Jehovah," for the reason that by "Jehovah" is signified the Divine being, and by "Lord" the Divine coming-forth from being; consequently the being in man is good, and the coming-forth from this truth.

[3] It is said in the church that faith is from the Lord; but be it known that the faith which is from charity is from the Lord, but not the faith which is separate from charity; for this latter faith is from man‘s own, and is called "persuasive faith" (n. 9363-9369). A man is able to know whether the faith in him is from the Lord or from himself: one who is affected by truths merely for the sake of a reputation for learning, in order that he may gain honors and wealth, and not for the sake of the good use of life, is in persuasive faith, which is from himself, and not from the Lord.

[4] In the truth of faith there are theoretical matters and practical ones; and he who regards the theoretical for the sake of the practical, and who sees the former in the latter, and who thus from both conjoined regards the good use of life, and is affected by both for the sake of this end, is in faith from the Lord. The reason is that the use of life, being the end, with him is good, and all things are formed according to the use of life; and the truths of faith are that by which the formation is effected. That this is so, is very manifest from those who are in the other life. All there, without exception, are reduced to the state of their good, or to the state of their evil, and thus to the use of their life, which had been their end, that is, which they had loved above all things, and which consequently had been the very delight of their life. All are reduced to this. The truths or falsities which had made a one with this use, remain, and more besides are adopted which conjoin themselves with the former, and complete the use, and cause the use to appear in its own real form. From this it is that spirits and angels are forms of their use; evil spirits forms of evil use, and these are in hell; good spirits or angels forms of good use, and these are in heaven. From this also it is that the quality of spirits is known the moment they are present; their truths of faith are known from their faces and the beauty of these in respect to their form; and the good itself, which is the use, from the fire of love therein which gives life to the beauty; and also from the sphere which surges from them. From all this it is again evident what is the presence of the Lord in the truths of faith.

AC 9298. Thou shalt not sacrifice the blood of My sacrifice upon what is fermented. That this signifies that the worship of the Lord from the truths of the church must not he commingled with falsities from evil, is evident from the signification of "sacrificing" and of "a sacrifice," as being the worship of the Lord (n. 922, 923, 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519, 6905, 8680, 8936); from the signification of "what is fermented," as being what is falsified, and falsity from evil (n. 2342, 7906, 8051, 8058); and from the signification of "blood," as being truth from good, thus the truth of the church (n. 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7846, 7850, 7877, 9127). From this it is evident that by "thou shalt not sacrifice the blood of My sacrifice upon what is frequented," is signified that the worship of the Lord from the truths of the church must not be commingled with falsities from evil. What falsity from evil is, and what falsity not from evil, (n. 1679, 2408, 4729, 6359, 7272, 8298, 9258).

[2] That truths from good, which are the truths of the church, must not be commingled with falsities from evil, is because they do not at all agree together; for they are opposites, and cause a conflict, whereby either the good will perish, or the evil will be dissipated; for good is from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord; and evil is from hell. There are indeed truths with the evil, and also falsities with the good; but the truths with the evil are not commingled with falsities from evil in them so long as they are merely in the memory and serve as means for evil, for so long they are without life. But if the truths are falsified so as to favor evil, which is done by a wrong interpretation, they then are commingled, whence is profanation of truth. The nature of this profanation may be seen above, (n. 1008, 1010, 1059, 1327, 1328, 2051, 2426, 3398, 3399, 3402, 4289, 4601, 6348, 6959, 6960, 6963, 6971, 8394, 8943, 9188).

[3] That it was forbidden to sacrifice upon what was fermented is evident from the following law concerning the meat-offering which was offered upon the altar together with the sacrifice, of which in Moses:--

From all this it is evident that the profanation of truth is signified by this law, and therefore it is said, "the blood of the sacrifice," and not "the sacrifice," because "blood" denotes truth from good.

AC 9299. And the fat of My feast shalt not remain overnight until the morning. That this signifies the good of worship not from the man’s own, but from the Lord, always new, is evident from the signification of "remaining overnight," as being that which is from man‘s own, for by "night" in the Word is signified what is evil and false (n. 221, 709, 6000, 7776, 7851, 7870, 7947), thus also man’s own, because this is nothing but evil and falsity (n. 210, 215, 694, 874-876, 987, 1023, 1044, 4318, 5660, 5786, 8480); from the signification of "fat," or "fatness," as being the good of love (n. 353, 5943), here the good of love in worship, because it is said "the fat of the feast," and "a feast" denotes worship (n. 9286, 9287, 9294); and from the signification of "the morning," as being the Lord and His coming, as can be seen from what has been shown above concerning the morning (n. 2405, 2780, 5962, 8426, 8427, 8812); consequently here, where the subject treated of is the good of worship that is not from man‘s own, by "the morning" is signified such good from the Lord always new.

AC 9300. The first of the firstfruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. That this signifies that all truths of good and goods of truth are holy, because they are from the Lord alone, is evident from the signification of "the firstfruits of the ground," as being that the goods and truths of the church are to be ascribed to the Lord alone. That "the firstfruits" denote these, (n. 9223); and that "the ground" denotes the church, (n. 566, 1068). It is said "the first of the firstfruits," because this ascription must be the foremost thing; for goods and truths have their life from the Lord, and they have life from the Lord when they are ascribed to Him. And from the signification of "bringing into the house of God," as being to ascribe to the Lord, that they may be holy. That "the house of God" denotes the Lord, (n. 3720); and that everything holy is from the Lord, (n. 9229). From all of which it is evident that by "the first of the first fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God" is signified that all truths of good and goods of truth are holy, because they are from the Lord alone.

[2] They are called "truths of good" and "goods of truth," because with the man who is being regenerated, and still more so with him when he has been regenerated, truths are of good, and goods are of truth; for truths make the life of the understanding, and good makes the life of the will. Moreover with the, regenerate man the understanding and the will make one mind, and communicate reciprocally, the truths which are of the understanding with the good which is of the will, and the good which is of the will with the truths which are of the understanding. They flow into each other scarcely otherwise than as the blood flows from the heart into the lungs, and thence back again into the heart; and then from the left ventricle of the heart into the arteries, and from these through the veins back again into the heart. such an idea may be formed about the reciprocal action of good and truth in man from his understanding into his will, and from his will into his understanding. That an idea about the reciprocal action of the truth of faith and the good of charity in the understanding and the will, may be obtained in especial from the lungs and the heart, is because the lungs correspond to the truths which are of faith, and the heart to the good which is of love (n. 3635, 3883-3896). Hence also it is that by the "heart" in the Word is signified the life of the will, and by the "soul" the life of faith (n. 9050).

[3] That from these an idea can be formed about the truths which are of the understanding and the good which is of the will, is because all things that belong to faith and love carry with them an idea from such things as the man knows, for without an idea from what he knows and feels in himself a man cannot think; and a man thinks rightly even about the things of faith and love, when he thinks of them from correspondences, for correspondences are natural truths, in which as in mirrors, spiritual truths are represented. Wherefore, so far as the ideas of thought concerning things spiritual are formed independently of correspondences, so far they are formed either from the fallacies of the senses, or from what is inconsistent with such things. The kind of ideas a man has about what belongs to faith and love, is very manifest in the other life, for there ideas are clearly perceived.

[4] The statement that the truths of faith bear relation to man’s understanding, and the good of charity to his will, may seem not consistent to those who say and confirm themselves in the idea that the things of faith are simply to be believed, because the natural man and his understanding do not apprehend anything of this kind, and because faith is not from man, but from the Lord. Nevertheless the same persons acknowledge and believe that a man is enlightened in truths and enkindled with good when he reads the Word, and that when he is enlightened he perceives what is true and what is not true; and they also call those men enlightened who excel others in discovering truths from the Word; which shows that those who are enlightened see and perceive within themselves whether a thing is true, or is not true. That which is then inwardly enlightened is their understanding, and that which is then inwardly enkindled is their will. But if it is genuine truth of faith in which they are enlightened, and if it is genuine good of charity with which they are enkindled, then it is the understanding of the internal man that is enlightened; and the will of the internal man that is enkindled. The case is very different with those who have not the genuine truth of faith, and the genuine good of charity.

[5] They who are in truth and good not genuine, and even they who are in falsities and evils, can indeed confirm the truths of the church, but they cannot see and perceive from within whether they are truths. Hence it is that most persons remain in the doctrinal things of the church in which they were born, and merely confirm these; and they would have confirmed themselves in the greatest heresies, such as Socinianism and Judaism, if they had been born of such parents. From all this it is evident that the understanding is enlightened with those who are in the affection of truth from good, but not with those who are in the affection of truth from evil. With those who are in the affection of truth from good the understanding of the internal man is enlightened, and the will of the internal man is enkindled; but with those who in the affection of truth from evil the understanding of the internal man is not enlightened, neither is the will of the internal man enkindled, for the reason that they are natural men, and therefore insist that the natural man cannot apprehend the things of faith.

[6] That with those who are in the affection of truth from good, and who consequently are interior and spiritual men, it is the understanding which is enlightened in the truths of faith, and that it is the will which is enkindled with the good of charity, is very manifest from the same persons in the other life. There they are in the understanding of all things of faith, and in the will of all things of charity, and this they also clearly perceive. Consequently they possess intelligence and wisdom unspeakable, for after putting off the body they are in that interior understanding which was enlightened in the world, and in that interior will which was there enkindled. But at that time they were not able to perceive in what manner they were enlightened and enkindled, because they then thought in the body, and from such things as belong to the world. From all this it is now evident that the truths of faith make the life of the understanding, and the good of charity the life of the will; consequently that the understanding must needs he present in the things of faith, and the will in those of charity; or what is the same, that it is into these two faculties that the faith and charity from the Lord flow, and that these are received according to the state of these faculties, thus that the dwelling place of the Lord in man is nowhere else.

[7] From what has been said about the internal and the external man (n. 6057, 9279), an idea can he formed further, that the internal man is formed according to the image of heaven, and the external man according to the image of the world; and that those in whom the internal man has not been opened see nothing from heaven; and that what they see from the world about heaven is thick darkness; and that therefore they can have no spiritual idea about what belongs to faith and charity. Hence also it is that they cannot even apprehend what Christian good or charity is; insomuch that they quite think that the life of heaven consists solely in the truths which they call matters of faith; and also that the life of heaven is possible with all men whatever who have the confidence of faith, even though they have not the life of faith.

[8] How blind such people are in respect to the life of faith, which is charity, is very evident from the fact that they pay no attention whatever to the thousands of things the Lord Himself taught about the good of life; and that when they read the Word they at once cast these things behind faith‘s back, and thus hide them from themselves and from others. Hence also it is that they cast out from the doctrine of the church everything that belongs to good--that is, to charity and its works--into a lower doctrine, which they call moral theology, and which they regard as natural and not spiritual; when yet after death the life of charity remains, and only so much of faith as is in agreement with this life; that is to say, there remains only so much of thought about the truths of faith as there is of the will of good according to these truths. That those who are in faith from good are able to confirm themselves therein by all knowledges of whatever kind, and thereby strengthen their faith, (n. 2454, 2568, 2588, 4156, 4293, 4760, 5201, 6047, 8629).

AC 9301. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. That this signifies that the good of innocence of the after state must not be conjoined with the truth of innocence of the former state, is evident from the signification of "to boil," as being to conjoin (n. 8496); from the signification of "a kid," as being the good of innocence (n. 3519, 4871); and from the signification of "milk," as being the truth of innocence (n. 2184, 3183); thus the "mother‘s milk" denotes the truth of the first innocence From all this it is evident that by "thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk" is signified that the good of innocence of the after state must not be conjoined with the truth of innocence of the former state. This is the heavenly secret from which this law emanates; for all the laws and judgments and statutes that were given to the sons of Israel, contain secrets of heaven, to which they also correspond. But how this secret is to be understood, namely, that the good of innocence of the after state must not he conjoined with the truth of innocence of the former state, shall be briefly stated. The innocence of the former state is the innocence of infants and children; and the innocence of the after state is the innocence of adults and the aged who are in the good of love to the Lord. The innocence of infants and children is external, and dwells in dense ignorance; but the innocence of the aged is internal, and dwells in wisdom. Concerning the difference between these two, (n. 2305, 2306, 3183, 3994, 4797)

[2] The innocence that dwells in wisdom consists in the man‘s knowing, acknowledging, and believing that he can understand nothing and will nothing from himself, and consequently in his not wishing to understand and will anything from himself, but only from the Lord; and also that whatever he supposes that he understands from himself is falsity; and whatever he supposes that he wills from himself is evil. This state of life is the state of innocence of the after state, in which are all who are in the third heaven, which is called "the heaven of innocence." Hence it is that such are in wisdom, because all they understand and will is from the Lord But the innocence which dwells in ignorance, such as exists with infants and children, consists in believing that all they know and think, and also all they will is in themselves;and that all they speak and do from this thought and will is from themselves. That these are fallacies, they do not apprehend The truths belonging to this innocence are for the most part founded upon the fallacies of the external senses; and these fallacies must be shaken off as the man advances toward wisdom. From these few words it can be seen that the good of innocence of the after state mast not be conjoined with the truth of innocence of the former state.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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