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And the lord spoke to Moses, saying,
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There is revelation from the Lord by Divine Truth giving the perception,
[more]
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Command the children of Israel, and say to them, My oblation, my food
for my offerings made by fire, of a sweet savour to me, shall you observe to
offer to me in their due season.
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That there is influx from the Lord with the man of the Spiritual Church,
and thence thoughts with him, that the Lord must be worshiped by the
acknowledgement that all good is from Him; that worship is to be from pure love;
that it is grateful and well pleasing to the Lord, because it is the
reciprocation of His love; and that it will be according to the varying states
of the man of the church.
[more]
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And you shall say to them, This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to the lord ; he-lambs of the first year without
blemish, two day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
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And further there is perception, that the acknowledgement that all the good
of love is from the Lord, involves also the acknowledgement that all the good of
innocence is from Him; that this gives conjunction with the Lord, that it is
purified from all evil; that it is embodied in inmost truth; that it is complete
and full; and that it is continually received.
[more]
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The one lamb shall you offer in the morning, and the other lamb shall
you offer at even.
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Also that his innocence is received first in a state of brightness, and
secondly in a state of obscurity;
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And the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mingled
with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil.
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That it is accompanied by spiritual good as much as is sufficient for
conjunction and derived from celestial good in the middle degree of the mind;
[more]
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It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a
sweet savour, an offering made by fire to the lord.
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And is wholly and perpetually ascribed to the Lord according to the laws
of Divine Order made known to the man of the church even in his state of
obscurity when truths were deficient with him; worship thus being grateful and
acceptable to the Lord, because proceeding from pure love;
[more]
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And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for one
lamb: in the holy place shall you pour out a drink offering of strong drink
to the lord.
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That it is also accompanied by spiritual truth as much as is sufficient
for conjunction; and that such truth is to be conjoined with good in the
external man in a holy state of worship, by influx; and that it shall be both
external and internal.
[more]
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And the other lamb shall you offer at even: as the meal offering of the
morning, and as the drink offering thereof, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, of a sweet
savour to the lord.
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And that this innocence is received in every state of obscurity, being
accompanied as in states of brightness with celestial-spiritual good and truth; and is then also embodied in worship
which is grateful and acceptable to the Lord because from pure love.
[more]
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And on the Sabbath day two he-lambs of the first year without blemish, and
two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mingled
with oil, and the drink offering thereof:
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But in every state of freedom from spiritual conflict, when good is
predominant and there is rest and peace, the reception of the inmost good of
innocence from the Lord giving conjunction is intensified, since it includes the
realization of a state of purification and fullness of worship as to celestial
good, as to spiritual good, and as to spiritual truth;
[more]
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This is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, beside the continual burnt
offering, and the drink offering thereof.
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As well as the sufficiency which appertains to the reception of that good
generally in the course of regeneration.
[more]
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And in the beginnings of your months you shall offer a burnt offering to
the lord ; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven he-lambs of the first
year without blemish;
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And in every new state of faith there is consecration to the Lord, and
conjunction with him as to the natural affections; as to spiritual affections;
and as to holy celestial affections received from Him in innocence, with
purification,
[more]
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And three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal
offering, mingled with oil, for each bullock; and two tenth parts of fine flour
for a meal offering, mingled with oil, for the one ram;
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Every natural affection being the ultimate, and therefore involving
fullness of conjunction with spiritual and celestial affections; and every
spiritual affection involving a less degree of conjunction, because not in
ultimates, with celestial good external and internal:
[more]
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And a several tenth part of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal
offering to every lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savour, an offering made by
fire to the lord.
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And every celestial affection involving the least degree of conjunction
with the Lord, as to the reception of celestial truth and good from Him immediately, because
the least in ultimates; the whole being fully consecrated to the Lord from pure
love, and being acceptable to Him on account of reciprocation in worship.
[more]
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And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine for a bullock, and
the third part of an hin for the ram, and the fourth part of an hin for a lamb:
this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year.
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In like manner also, in every new state of faith, the reception of truths
in the natural degree is in the greatest proportion; in the spiritual degree in
less proportion; and in the celestial degree in the least proportion. And thus
the Lord is acknowledged and worshiped in every state of faith generally, and
particularly as the giver of every good affection, and of every true thought,
[more]
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And one he-goat for a sin offering to the lord ; it shall be
offered beside the continual burnt offering, and the drink offering thereof.
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While at the same time He must also be acknowledged and worshiped in
every state as man's redeemer and saviour from sin, because purification from
sin is the inevitable result of regeneration, and follows regeneration in every
stage thereof.
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And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is the
lord's passover.
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For the beginning, from which all the holy states of the regeneration of
man commence, is redemption by the Lord from the absolute dominion of evil, and
the reception of spiritual life from Him through the assumption of the Human in
the world and its glorification.
[more]
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And on the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast: seven days shall
unleavened bread be eaten.
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And the first general operation of the Lord with man in his new state, is
purification from falsities, and the successive appropriation of good according to the state, in the course of regeneration.
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In the first day shall be an holy convocation; you shall do no servile
work:
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For even the first state of the reception of good is a holy state
representing heaven, and involving a rearrangement of truth and good with man;
and it is also a state of rest from spiritual conflict.
[more]
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But you shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt offering to the
lord ; two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven he-lambs of the first year
: they shall be to you without blemish:
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And in it the Lord is acknowledged to be the source of all good by
worship and consecration to His service from pure love, involving conjunction as
to good natural affections, as to spiritual affection, and as to celestial
affection, complete, and pure, and holy.
[more]
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And their meal offering, fine flour mingled with oil; three tenth parts
shall you offer for a bullock, and two tenth parts for the ram;
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Also therein the Lord is acknowledged as the source of all spiritual good
derived from celestial, to be finally manifested in the natural man in fullness,
but previously in the spiritual man in a less degree,
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A several tenth part shall you offer for every lamb of the seven lambs;
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And in the celestial man in the least degree, yet still holy and pure;
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And one he-goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you.
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For in every case the remission of evil by means of truths, and
reconciliation of the external man with the internal takes place,
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You shall offer these beside the burnt offering of the morning, which is
for a continual burnt offering.
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In addition to the consecration of the internal man by the sincere
acknowledgement that all life is received from the Lord continually.
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After this manner you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a sweet savour to the
lord : it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and the
drink offering thereof.
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And purification, and the appropriation of good, by the sincere acknowledgement that life is continually received from the Lord,
must be perpetual throughout the course of regeneration; implying the continual
reception of the good of truth, from pure love, which is grateful and acceptable
to the Lord on account of reciprocation; and involving a specific as well as a
general state of worship.
[more]
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And on the seventh day you shall have an holy convocation; you shall do no
servile work.
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And thus the completion of regeneration is full and perfect reception of
the heavenly life in which all truths are arranged under good in their order
with every one; and in which all conflict with evil ceases.
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Also in the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a new meal offering
to the lord in your feast of weeks, you shall have an holy
con-.vocation; you shall do no servile work:
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But in the second general state of man when truth is implanted in good,
and when therefore there is a new and increasing acknowledgement of the Lord, and
of the reception of spiritual and celestial life from Him, truths are still more
perfectly arranged into heavenly order; and the state of freedom from spiritual
conflict is still more advanced.
[more]
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But you shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour to the lord
; two young bullocks, one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year;
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And consequently holy worship from love is also more perfect, being more
grateful and acceptable to the Lord; and this as to the natural affections, as
to the spiritual affections, and as to celestial affections in the good of
innocence, having conjunction with the Lord, and being in proportion full.
[more]
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And their meal offering, fine flour mingled with oil, three tenth parts
for each bullock, two tenth parts for the one ram,
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For thus also the reception of spiritual and celestial good is greater in
degree, when it affects the natural man as well as the spiritual and celestial; less
when it only affects the spiritual and celestial;
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A several tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs;
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And least of all when it affects the celestial only.
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One he-goat, to make atonement for you.
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Also the remission of evil by means of truths still continues according
to the state, and consequently the agreement of the external with the internal
man,
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Beside the continual burnt offering, and the meal offering thereof,
you shall offer them (they shall be to you without blemish), and their drink
offerings.
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All this being in addition to the general state of reception and
acknowledgement, that all life is from the Lord, and involving purification from
evil.
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As the subject of this chapter is the same generally as that of Lev. xxiii.,
already considered, of course the internal sense is generally the same; and the
commentary on that chapter, with its interpretation and explanation, may,
therefore, usefully be consulted here. But the point of the first section is
worship from the good of innocence in every state of brightness and every state
of obscurity during regeneration, and indeed after regeneration. For who that is
regenerated can cease to worship the Lord. But what is it to worship the Lord
from the good of innocence which is represented so appropriately by the lamb? It
is to worship Him from the inmost principle of good or love; and that this may
be done by every one in every state of regeneration, is signified by the offering of a he-lamb every
morning and every evening in the Israelitish and Jewish church. And this
innocence consists in the heart-felt acknowledgement that all good is from the
Lord, and consequently that man of himself is not in any good; also it is
represented beautifully in the innocence of little children, which, although it
is the innocence of ignorance, may become in the regenerated man the innocence
of wisdom. And he who is in the latter innocence knows by experience that
without the Lord he can do nothing; and the more knowledge he gains and applies
to the uses of life, because it is from the Lord, the more conscious does he
become of his dependence upon Him, and that he is for ever in the safe-keeping
of one who will never leave him nor forsake him. In short, the nearer any one
approaches to the love which constitutes the Lord Himself, the more innocent
will he become; for the Lord is essential innocence; and because innocence is
the removal of all evil more and more, therefore the Lord is called the Lamb of
God taking away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Hence now we may see what is
really meant spiritually by the offering of a lamb every morning and every
evening. For whatever may be the state of any worshiper externally, if his
worship of the Lord is sincere, the innocence of wisdom is its inmost principle,
and will be fully manifested outwardly in his angelic life. And hence, too, we
may see how the lamb is not only the representative of innocence itself, which
is the inmost principle of all good, but also especially of the highest kind of
good which is called celestial, and distinguishes the angels of the third
heaven, who are more in innocence than any others.
And if we notice now what accompanies this offering, and is called a meal
offering, we also learn that spiritual good or charity is derived from this
highest good and is conjoined with it; while proceeding a step further, and
noting what is said of the drink offering, we also perceive that all truth is
thence derived, and that it is powerful just in proportion as the holy principle
of good is manifested in it, which is meant by the strong drink poured out to
the Lord.
But coming to the second section, we have to observe that throughout
regeneration there are recurring states of rest and peace, denoted by the
Sabbath; and that then the reception of the good of innocence from the Lord is
intensified, and gives conjunction with Him; since it includes the realization
of a state of purification and fullness of worship, as to celestial good, as to
spiritual good, and as to spiritual truth; as well as the sufficiency which
appertains to that good generally in the course of regeneration. And it is
indeed a blessed thing for man that, ever and anon, he has such experiences; for
therein he, as it were, stores up strength for future conflicts and for future
victories, and also has a foretaste of the eternal state of rest from
temptations in heaven itself which is indeed an eternal Sabbath, and is also
represented by the Jewish Sabbath, as well as in a more spiritual way by the
Christian Sabbath. The point, however, here to be particularly noted is the
difference in the arrangement here and in Leviticus. For there the general state
upon which all others depend is denoted by the six days of labour combined with
the Sabbath as a day of rest, whereas in this account it is the daily morning
and evening sacrifice that represents the general state. And that is why it is
here said that the recurring Sabbath state is in addition to the reception of
good generally, and is an intensification of it. Now when we consider these
states, and how true they are to human experience, we cannot but be convinced
also of the great use of the Christian Sabbath as a day of instruction in Divine things; as an
incentive to a good and holy life; as a manifestation of the effect of that
life; and above all as an expression of the worship of the Lord involving all
these things together. Nor need we be astonished that there are such recurring
seasons of Divine Worship even in the heavens, with both the spiritual and
celestial orders of angels according to the following clear and forcible
statement:
"Divine worship in the heavens is not unlike that on earth as to externals,
but it differs as to internals. In the heavens, as on earth, there are
doctrines, preachings, and temples. The doctrines agree as to essentials, but
are of more interior wisdom in the higher heavens than in the lower. The
preachings are according to the doctrines; and as they have houses and palaces
(HH 183-190), so they have temples in which there is preaching. Such things
exist in heaven because angels are continually being perfected in wisdom and
love; for they have understanding and will equally as men, and the
understanding is such that it may be continually perfected, and in like manner
the will; the understanding by truths which are of intelligence, and the will by
the goods which are of love" (HH 221). And, moreover, that there are
temples for worship both among the celestial and spiritual angels may be seen
from HH 223. But, however, "Divine worship itself, in the heavens, does not
consist in frequenting temples, and hearing sermons; but in a life of love,
charity, and faith, according to doctrines " (HH 222).
The third section in the internal sense, describes that state of the
regeneration of man subordinate to the general state which may be called a
preparatory state when it precedes the Sabbath state, or a state of greater
fullness when it follows it, and which is represented by the sacrifices offered
at the beginning of each month. For as the sun corresponds to a state of love,
so the moon corresponds to a state of faith derived from love or leading to it.
But this particular festival is not described in Leviticus in connection with
the others, and indeed what we have in this chapter is the only description of
it given in the Pentateuch. And a consideration of its sacrifices shows that it
denotes here a state of faith conjoined with charity, for faith separated from
charity is not a true faith. Observe therefore first, that love, or charity,
which is properly represented by the animals offered, is of a threefold quality,
according to the degree of the mind in which it is manifested. For in the
natural degree it appears as natural good; in the spiritual degree as spiritual
good; and in the celestial degree as celestial good, and that, in fact, all
these kinds of good co-exist with him who is in a true faith, increasing in
intensity as regeneration proceeds. The reason is because, with every one, faith
at first is not conjoined consciously with love in the natural degree, or in the
spiritual degree, but only in the celestial or inmost degree of his life, and
therefore love is in the least proportion with him in that state, which is
denoted by the proportion of fine flour in the meal offering being the least for
a lamb. But when, by continual persistence in obediences to the truths of faith,
the conjunction of faith with charity descends, and is manifested also in the
spiritual degree of the mind as well as in the celestial, then charity is in
greater proportion with man, which is signified by the quantity of fine flour
being greater for a ram than for a lamb. And lastly, when the conjunction of
faith with charity still further descends, through obedience to the truth
combined with the love thereof, and is manifested in the natural degree of the
mind, then is love or charity with man in the greatest proportion, which is
represented by the quantity of fine flour being greater for a bullock than for a
ram or a lamb. And it is evident that this is a true description of
regeneration, because when love and charity are fully manifested in all the
degrees of man's life together, and are conjoined with the truths of faith, then
the process is completed, and is accompanied by a full removal of evil and error
which is denoted by the offering of a he-goat as a sin offering, this removal
being gradually effected by the Lord with man throughout the whole course of his
experience, making it possible that there should be this descent of love and
charity and natural good. For unless there is repentance, or the actual removal
of evil with each of us, there cannot be any realization of good, and therefore
of the conjunction of good with truth and of truth with good.
But now there follows in the last two sections a description of the first and
second general and subordinate states of man's regeneration, just as in
Leviticus, with the exception that here there is an account of the offerings to
be made, which are not mentioned there, and which are exactly the same as the
monthly offering in both cases, so that the explanation just above given is
applicable also in these places and therefore need not be repeated. On the other
hand, there is, in Leviticus, an account of some sacrifices not given in this
chapter, and therefore it is evident that the difference, in this respect,
between the two chapters, is on account of the difference in the series of the
internal sense. In each case, however, it will, we think, be found that the
series is perfect and that the continuity of the general subject is sustained.
And therefore we may here remember that, wherever in the literal sense there are
repetitions of what has been before stated, so that there is necessarily a
similar repetition in the internal sense, yet the different connections under
which these repetitions occur necessarily, also, involves something new and
interesting in the internal sense. For it is certain that there are no needless
repetitions in the Word of the Lord, in which every single correspondential
expression is used with the greatest exactitude, so that the spiritual sense may
be perfect and harmonious throughout. This then will be sufficient as a
commentary on the present chapter, the subject of which is continued and
completed with the next.