AC 10570 - What causes worship to be internal?

AC 10570 [2]
. . . it is the Divine truths revealed in the Word
which cause worship to be internal,
provided that people know them and live according to them.
For if a person could worship God in a holy manner without them,
there would be no need of any doctrine of the church,
nor of any preaching.

AC 10555 - What is truth without good and good without truth?

AC 10555
. . . truth without good is like a body without life;
and good without truth is like life without a body.

AC 10548 - to inquire of the Lord

AC 10548 [2]
. . . to inquire of the Lord is to consult the Word;
for in the Word the Lord is present,
seeing that the Word is the Divine truth which is from Him,
and that He is with the angels in His Divine truth,
and also with the men of the church who receive Him.

In today's comments is AC 10551 about influx and enlightenment.

AC 10528 - "And I will send an angel before thee."

AC 10528
And I will send an angel before thee.
(Exodus 33:2)

. . . "an angel" also signifies the Divine of the Lord
with the people who receive it;
for people who are in the good of love
and in the truths of faith
in the Lord from the Lord,
after death become angels;
and those who do so are angels inwardly
even while they live in the world.

AC 10500 - simply put, internal things . . .

AC 10500 [3]

. . . belong to love and faith in the Lord
and to eternal life thereby.


AC 10505 [3]
. . . those who are in the life of truth and good,
. . . do the Divine commandments from love and faith.
For a life according to these commandments
opens the internal man and forms him,
and what is written therein
is written by the Lord,
and remains to eternity.

AC 10495 - blessing and conjunction

AC 10495
. . . "blessing" denotes conjunction with the Lord.
. . . and that through the Word
there is conjunction of the Lord with a person,
and of heaven with the world, see n. 10452.

AC 10490 - the meanings of relationships & temptations

AC 10490 [4-5]
He who does not know that by "brethren," "companions," "neighbors,"
and many other names of relationship
are signified the goods and truths of the church and of heaven;
and their opposites, which are evils and falsities;
cannot know what is involved in many other passages in the Word
where these names occur, as in the following:

Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth;
I am not come to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father,
and the daughter against her mother,
and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and a man's foes shall be those of his own household.
Whosoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me;
and whosoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
and whosoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me,
is not worthy of Me.
(Matthew 10:34-38)

spiritual combats are here treated of,
which are temptations to be undergone by those who are to be regenerated,
thus the contentions arising in a person between the evils and falsities
which are with him from hell,
and the goods and truths which are with him from the Lord.
Because these combats are here described, it is said,
"whosoever doth not take up his cross,
and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me;"
by the "cross" being meant the state of a person when in temptations.
He who does not know that such things are signified
by "man" and "father," by "daughter" and "mother,"
by "daughter-in-law" and "mother- in-law,"
must believe that the Lord came into the world
in order to take away peace in homes and families, and introduce dissension;
and yet He came to give peace and to take away dissensions,
according to His own words in John 14:27, and elsewhere.

Peace I leave with you,
My peace I will give to you;
not as the world give do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.

That the dissension of the internal and the external person
is described in this passage (Matthew 10:34-38),
is evident from the signification in the internal sense of
"man" and "father," of "daughter" and "mother,"
and of "daughter-in-law" and "mother-in-law,"
in which sense "man" [homo] denotes the good which is from the Lord;
"father" denotes the evil which is from man's own;
"daughter" denotes the affection of good and truth;
"mother" denotes the affection of evil and falsity;
"daughter-in-law" denotes the truth of the church adjoined to its good;
and "mother-in-law" denotes falsity adjoined to its evil.
And because the combat between goods and evils,
and between falsities and truths, with a person is described,
it is also said that "a man's foes shall be those of his own household,"
for by "those of his own household" is signified
the things that appertain to man, thus which are his own;
and "foes" in a spiritual sense denote the evils and falsities
which assault goods and truths.

AC 10481 - only the Lord has the power

AC 10481
Deliver me from mine enemies O my God;
set me on high from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity.
Lo, they lie in wait for my soul.
(Psalm 59:1-3).

In these and many other passages,
by "enemies" and "those who rise up against"
are signified evils and falsities which are from hell.
They are called "those who rise up against,"
because evils and falsities rise up against goods and truths;
but not the reverse.

[2] That those who are in external things separate from what is internal
have no power to resist the evils and falsities which are from hell,
is because all power to resist these is from the Divine.
Wherefore they who have been separated from what is internal,
who also have been separated from what is Divine,
have no power;
consequently they are borne along by evils and falsities
wherever hell carries them, like a flock and a straw by the wind....

AC 10452 - the use of the Word

AC 10452 [2-4]
. . . the heavens subsist by means of Divine truth,
and that without it there would be no heavens,
and that the human race subsists by means of heaven;
for unless heaven flowed in with a person,
the person would not be able to think at all,
thus not to will anything rationally.
In order therefore that heaven may subsist,
and the human race by conjunction with it,
the Word has been provided by the Lord,
wherein is Divine truth for angels and for mankind,
the Word in its spiritual and celestial sense
being of such a nature as to contain within it
angelic wisdom itself in so surpassing a degree
that it is scarcely possible
for a person to form any conception of its excellence,
although in the letter it appears very simple and unpolished.

From this it is evident that heaven is in its wisdom from the Word
when it is being read by a person,
and then at the same time the person is in conjunction with heaven.
To this end has such a Word been given to mankind.

From this it follows that if this medium of conjunction were not in the world,
conjunction with heaven would perish,
and with this conjunction
all good of the will and all truth of the understanding in a person,
and with these that very humanity which consociates man with man;
consequently evil and falsity would be in full possession,
whereby one society would perish after another.
For it would be as
when a person walks in thick darkness and stumbles wherever he goes;
and it would be as when the head is in a delirium,
in consequence of which
the body is carried madly and insanely even to its destruction;
and it would be as when the heart fails,
causing the organs and members to cease to perform their uses,
until the whole body dies.

Such would be the state of person unless heaven were conjoined with him,
and heaven would not be conjoined with him
unless there were the Word;
or unless Divine truth were communicated immediately through angels,
as in ancient times.
When heaven is mentioned, the Divine also is meant,
for the Divine of the Lord makes heaven;
so that to be conjoined with heaven is to be conjoined with the Lord;
and to be disjoined from heaven is to be disjoined from the Lord;
and to be disjoined from the Lord is to perish;
for the whole disposal of things for good,
which is called Providence,
is from this source;
and were such disposal removed,
all things would rush into evil, and so into devastation.
From all this it can be seen what is the use of the Word;
but few will believe that the Word is of such a nature and of so great a use.

AC 10445 - I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens. (Exodus 32:13)

AC 10445
I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens.
(Exodus 32:13)
That this signifies goods and truths,
and the knowledges of these,
is evident from the signification of "seed,"
when said of heaven and the church,
as being the good and truth therein;
and from the signification of "stars,"
as being the knowledges of good and truth.

AC 10431 - Does the Lord get angry?

AC 10431
In many passages of the Word
it is said of Jehovah that He burns with anger and is wroth,
and also that He consumes and destroys.
But it is so said
because it so appears to the person
who turns himself away from the Lord,
as is the case when he does evil;
and as then he is not heard, and is even punished,
he believes that the Lord is in anger against him;
although the Lord is never angry, and never consumes,
for He is mercy itself and good itself.
From this it is evident what is the nature of the Word as to the letter,
namely, that it is according to the appearance with a person.

AC 10409 - Divine blessings

AC 10409 [3]
. . . the goods, the satisfactions, and the happiness
that are given and provided for a person by the Divine
are eternal and have no end;
and consequently these are true blessings.

What is temporary bears no ratio to what is eternal;
as what is finite in time bears no ratio to the infinite of time.
What endures to eternity, this is;
but what has an end, this relatively is not.
That which is, the Divine provides;
but not that which is not,
except insofar as it conduces to that which is;
for Jehovah, which is the Divine Itself, is,
and that which is from Him also is.

AC 10406 - "graven images" - "molten images" - "golden calf"

AC 10406
. . . "forming with a graving tool,"
when said concerning an idol,
as being to prepare false doctrine from one's own intelligence,
which is effected by the application of the sense of the letter of the Word
in favor of the loves of self and of the world;
for when these loves reign,
the man is not in any enlightenment from heaven,
but takes all things from his own intelligence,
and confirms them from the sense of the letter of the Word,
which he falsifies by a wrong application and a perverted interpretation,
and afterward favors such things because they are from himself.

[2] In the Word throughout
mention is made of "graven images" and "molten images."
They who apprehend the Word merely according to the letter
suppose that idols only are meant by these images.
Nevertheless idols are not meant, but false doctrinal things of the church,
such as are formed by man himself under the guidance of some love of his.
The forming of these falsities to cohere, and to appear as if they were truths,
is signified by a "graven image."
The joining of them together to favor external loves,
so that evils may appear as goods,
is signified by a "molten image."
As both are meant by the "golden calf,"
therefore it is here said that Aaron "formed it with a graving tool,"
by which is meant the forming of falsities
so as to appear as if they were truths;
and by its being said that he "made the gold a molten calf."
And afterward that he
"cast it into the fire, and it came forth a calf" (verse 24),
means the joining together to favor external loves
so that evils may appear as goods.
Such moreover is the case with all doctrine that is made from man,
and not from the Lord;
and it is made from man
when he has as his end his own glory or his own profit;
but it is from the Lord
when the good of the neighbor and the good of the Lord's kingdom
are regarded as the end.

AC 10400 - the internal man, the internal sense of the Word, and the angels in heaven

AC 10400 [3-4]
. . . the internal sense itself,
which in some measure lies open to everyone
(even if he does not know what the internal sense is)
who is in what is external from what is internal,
that is, whose internal man is open.
For heaven (which is in the internal sense of the Word)
flows in with such a man when he reads the Word, enlightens him,
and gives him perception, and thus teaches him.
Nay, if you will believe it,
with man the internal man is of itself in the internal sense of the Word,
because it is a heaven in the least form,
and consequently when it is open it is with the angels in heaven,
and is therefore also in like perception with them.

But of the nature of these ideas man is not aware
so long as he lives in the body;
but he comes into them spontaneously when he comes into the other life,
because they are implanted in him,
and by means of them he is forthwith in fellowship with the angels.
From this it is evident that the man whose internal is open,
is in the internal sense of the Word,
although he is not aware of it.
From this he has enlightenment when he reads the Word,
but according to the light
that he can have by means of the knowledges which he has.

AC 10376 - the finger of God

AC 10376.
Tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
That this signifies Divine truth therein from the Lord Himself,
is evident from the signification of the "tables,"
as being the Law in the whole complex, thus the Word;
from the signification of "stone,"
as being Divine truth in ultimates;
and from the signification of "written with the finger of God,"
as being from the Lord Himself;
for that which is written with the finger of anyone is from him.
The reason why these tables were of stone,
and the words of the Law were written on stone,
was that "stone" signifies truth in ultimates,
and Divine truth in ultimates is the sense of the letter of the Word,
within which is the internal sense.

AC10367 - the Lord with man

AC 10367 [3-4]
Man is born into evils of every kind,
and consequently into falsities of every kind,
thus of himself he is condemned to hell.
In order therefore that he may be rescued from hell,
he must needs be born again of the Lord.
This being born again is what is called regeneration.
In order therefore that he may be born again,
he must first learn truths,
and if he is of the church he must learn them from the Word,
or from doctrine derived from the Word.
The Word and doctrine from the Word teach what is true and good,
and truth and good teach what is false and evil.
Unless man knows these, he cannot possibly be regenerated,
for he remains in his evils and their falsities,
calling the former goods, and the latter truths.

For this reason the knowledges of truth and good must precede,
and must enlighten the man's understanding.
For the understanding was given to man
in order that it may be enlightened
by means of the knowledges of good and truth,
to the end that these may be received by his will, and may become good;
for truths become good
when the man wills them, and from willing them does them.
From this it can be seen in what manner good is formed with man,
and that unless man is in good,
he is not born anew, or regenerated.
When therefore a man is in good as to the will,
he is then in the truths of this good as to the understanding.
For the understanding with man actually acts as a one with his will,
because that which a man wills, he thinks when he is left to himself.
This then is what is called the conjunction of truth and good,
or the heavenly marriage.
Whether you say to will what is good,
or to love what is good, it is the same;
for what a man loves he wills.
And whether you say to understand the truth which is of good,
or to believe it, it is also the same.
From this it follows that with the regenerate man love and faith act as a one.
This conjunction, or this marriage,
is what is called the church, and heaven, and also the Lord's kingdom;
nay, in the supreme sense, the Lord with man.

The whole of this number is quoted in comments.


AC 10374.
. . . the "rest of Jehovah"
denotes peace and salvation for the angels in the heavens,
and for men on earth when these are in good and thereby in the Lord.

AC 10360 - the sabbath

AC 10360 [3]
That the conjunction of good and truth also, is signified by "the Sabbath,"
is because when a person is in combats he is in truths;
but when truths have been conjoined with good,
thus when the person is in good, he then has rest;
in like manner as the Lord,
when He was in the world, and fought with the hells,
was in respect to His Human Divine truth;
and when He had united His Human to the Divine Itself,
He then, even in respect to His Human, became the Divine good, or Jehovah.

AC 10334 - there are many genera and species of goods

AC 10334
There is celestial good and there is spiritual good;
there is good interior and exterior,
exterior good being natural and sensuous;
there is the good of innocence,
the good of love,
the good of faith.
Good must be in all truth in order that it may be truth.
Moreover, the good with man is formed by means of truths,
consequently good is varied and becomes manifold,
so manifold indeed that no angel, no spirit, and no man,
is in like good with another.
The universal heaven consists in variety as to good,
and by this variety one is distinguished from another.
For if a number had the same good, there would be no distinction;
but these various goods are so ordered by the Lord
that together they constitute one general good.
Be it known that the Divine good is one, because infinite;
but that with angels, spirits, and men,
it is varied in quality and quantity by its reception in truths;
for truths qualify good,
that is, give to good its quality; and truths are manifold.

AC 10331 - "In wisdom, and in intelligence, and in knowledge, and in all work." (Exodus 31:3)

AC 10331 [4-7]
With those who are in the good of love to the Lord,
wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, and work,
follow together in order from inmost to outermost.
With such men, wisdom is inmost, for it is to will well from love;
intelligence is second, for it is to understand well from willing well.
These two are of the internal man.
Knowledge consists in knowing well,
and work in doing well,
both from willing well.
These two are of the external man.
From this it is evident that wisdom must be in intelligence,
intelligence in knowledge,
and knowledge in work.
Thus work includes and brings to a conclusion all the interior things,
for it is the ultimate in which they close.

The Son of man shall render unto everyone according to his deeds.
(Matthew 16:27)

I will recompense them according to their work,
and according to the deed of their hands.
(Jeremiah 25:14).

Jehovah does with us according to our ways,
and according to our works.
(Zechariah 1:6)

Behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me,
to give to every man according to his works.
(Revelation 22:12)

It is a general law that such as a man is, such is all his work.

Moreover, the very willing of man is nothing but work,
because that which anyone wills he does,
unless he is prevented by some irremovable obstacle.
Therefore by being "judged according to the deeds,"
denotes to be judged according to the will.
They who do good from willing good are called in the Word the "righteous,"

AC 10330 - influx and enlightenment and being raised into heaven

AC 10330 [2-3]
Man is of such a nature that in respect to his interiors,
which are of thought and will,
he can look downward, and he can look upward.
To look downward is to look outward into the world and to self,
and to look upward is to look inward to heaven and to God.
Man looks outward from self, and this is called looking downward,
because when he does so from himself he looks to hell.
But man looks inward not from self, but from the Lord;
and this is called looking upward,
because in respect to his interiors which are of the will and understanding
he is then raised by the Lord to heaven, and thus to the Lord.
Moreover, the interiors are actually raised,
and are then actually withdrawn from the body and from the world.
When this is done, the interiors of the man come actually into heaven,
and into its light and heat. From this he has influx and enlightenment,
for the light of heaven illumines his understanding,
because this light is the Divine truth which proceeds from the Lord as a Sun;
and the heat of heaven enkindles the will,
because this heat is the good of love
which at the same time proceeds from the Lord as a Sun.
As the man is then among the angels,
there is communicated to him from them,
that is, through them from the Lord,
the understanding of truth and the affection of good.
This communication is what is called influx and enlightenment.

But be it known that influx and enlightenment take place
according to the capability of reception on the part of man,
and the capability of reception
is according to the love of what is good and true;
and therefore those are raised
who are in the love of what is good and true
for the sake of what is good and true as ends;
whereas those who are not in the love of what is good and true
for the sake of what is good and true,
but for the sake of self and the world,
cannot be raised, because they continually look and gravitate downward;
thus they cannot receive the Divine influx from heaven, and be enlightened.

AC 10307 - And the incense which you make in its quality, you shall not make for yourselves. (Exodus 30:37)

AC 10307
And the incense which you make in its quality,
you shall not make for yourselves.
(Exodus 30:37)

. . . this signifies that worship from the holy truths of the church
must not be applied in favor of the loves of man . . ..

All the truths of the church have regard to two loves,
namely, to love to God, and to love toward the neighbor.
That the whole Word, which is Divine truth itself,
and from which are all the truths of the church,
hangs on these two loves . . ..

When truths Divine are applied in favor of the loves of man,
they are no longer truths,
because by means of these applications evil enters them,
and perverts them, and makes them appear false.

AC 10299 - worship & influx

AC 10299 [2-5]
When a person is in genuine worship,
then the Lord flows into the goods and truths which are with him,
and raises them to Himself, and with them the man,
insofar and in such a manner as he is in them.
This elevation does not appear to the man
unless he is in the genuine affection of truth and good,
and in the knowledge, acknowledgment, and faith
that everything good comes from above, from the Lord.

That it is so may be comprehended
even by those who are wise from the world,
for they know from their learning that natural influx,
which is called by them physical influx, is not possible,
but only spiritual influx;
that is, that nothing can flow in from the natural world into heaven,
but only from heaven into the world.
From all this it can be seen how it is to be understood
that the influx and operation of the Divine of the Lord
are into each and all things of worship.

Nevertheless a person must not let down his hands and await influx,
for this would be to act like an effigy devoid of life;
in spite of all he must think, will, and act as of himself,
and yet must ascribe to the Lord everything
of thought of truth and of endeavor of good;
by so doing there is implanted in him by the Lord
the capability of receiving Him and the influx from Him.

For man was created no otherwise than to be a receptacle of the Divine;
and the capability of receiving the Divine is formed in no other way.
When this capability has been formed,
he afterward has no other will than that it should be so;
for he loves the influx from the Lord,
and is averse to any working from himself;
because the influx from the Lord is the influx of good,
whereas any working from himself is the working of evil.
In such a state are all the angels in heaven;
therefore by "angels" in the Word are signified truths and goods
which are from the Lord,
because the angels are receptions of these.

AC 10287 - profanation & what happens to those who profane

AC 10287 [2 & 4]
The state of the man who commits profanation is
that he has communication with the heavens
and at the same time with the hells;
by truths with the heavens,
and by falsities of evil with the hells;
from this in the other life there comes a tearing asunder,
whereby everything of interior life perishes.
After this tearing asunder such persons barely appear as men,
but as burnt bones in which there is but little life.

That "strangers" denote those who do not acknowledge the Lord,
and are unwilling to acknowledge Him,
whether they be out of the church or within it,
thus who are in evils and in the falsities of evil . . .
is evident from many passages in the Word.
It is said "those who do not acknowledge the Lord,
thus who are in evils and the falsities of evil,"
because those who do not acknowledge the Lord
must needs be in evils and the falsities of evil;
for all good and the truth of good are from the Lord,
and therefore those who deny the Lord are in evils and the falsities of evil;
according to the words of the Lord in John:

Unless ye believe that I am, ye shall die in your sins.
(John 8:24)

AC 10283 - more on liquid and dry

AC 10283
. . . "pouring" is said of liquids, as of oil, wine, and water,
and "pouring forth" of things Divine, celestial, and spiritual;
while "touching" is said of things dry and bodily
(that "to touch" denotes to communicate, see n. 10130).

AC 10276 - The Word is most holy, and that its literal sense is holy from its internal sense, but that apart from this it is not holy.

AC 10276 [9]
As the Jewish nation did not acknowledge anything holy in the Word
except in the mere sense of its letter,
which they completely separated from the internal sense,
they fell into such darkness
that they did not recognize the Lord when He came into the world.
. . . Therefore unless the Lord had come into the world
and opened the interior things of the Word,
the communication with the heavens by means of the Word
would have been broken;
and then the human race on this earth would have perished,
for a person can think no truth and do no good except from heaven,
that is, through heaven from the Lord;
and the Word is that which opens heaven.

AC 10266 - Don't be mistaken!

AC 10266
He who believes that a person can be endowed with the good of love,
without the truths of faith,
and without a life in accordance with these,
is very much mistaken.

AC 10262 - measurements of liquids and dry things

AC 10262
[2] Two measures are mentioned in the Word, which were in holy use,
one for liquids, which was called the "hin,"
the other for dry things, which was called the "ephah;"
by the hin were measured oil and wine,
and by the ephah, meal and fine flour;
the measure hin, which was for oil and wine, was divided into four parts,
but the measure ephah was divided into ten.
The reason why the measure hin was divided into four,
was that it might signify what is conjunctive, for "four" denotes conjunction;
but that the measure ephah was divided into ten
was that it might signify what is receptive,
the quality whereof was marked by the numbers,
for "ten" signifies much, all, and what is full.

[4] There were other measures besides,
which were in common use both for dry things and for liquids;
the dry measures were called the "homer" and the "omer,"
and the liquid measures the "cor" and the "bath."
The homer contained ten ephahs, and the ephah ten omers;
but the cor contained ten baths, and the bath ten lesser parts.

[5] But in Ezekiel, where the new temple is treated of,
there appears a different division of the ephah and the bath;
the ephah and the bath not being there divided into ten, but into six;
and the hin there corresponds to the ephah,
as is plain in this prophet (Ezek. 45:13, 14, 24; 46:5, 7, 11, 14).
The reason is that the subject there treated of
is not celestial good and its conjunction,
but spiritual good and its conjunction;
and in the spiritual kingdom the corresponding numbers are
twelve, six, and three,
because by these numbers are signified all things,
and when they are predicated of truths and goods,
all things of truth and of good in the complex.

AC 10258 - perfection

AC 10258
. . . inmost truth proceeds immediately from good,
and in lower things acts in conjunction with good.
This takes place when the understanding acts wholly as a one with the will,
so that it is not known whether the act is from the one or from the other.
Moreover, the more interior heavenly things are,
the more perfect they are,
for all perfection increases toward the interiors,
and all perfection is from good,
that is,
through good from the Lord.

AC 10251 - celestial good is the love of living & doing truths from the Lord's Word for Him

AC 10252 [2-3]
In order that celestial good, which is inmost good, may be born with man,
which is effected by the Lord through regeneration,
truths must be acquired from the Word,
or from the doctrine of the church which is from the Word.
These truths obtain their first seat
in the memory of the natural or external man;
from this they are called forth by the Lord into the internal man,
which is done when the man lives according to them;
and the more the man is affected with them, or loves them,
the higher, or the more interiorly, they are raised by the Lord,
and there become celestial good.

[3] Celestial good
is the good of the love of doing truths from the Word for the sake of good,
thus for the Lord's sake;
for the Lord is the source of good, thus is good;
and this is the generation of this good.
From this it is evident
that this good comes forth by means of truths from the Word,
first in the most external or sensuous man,
next by their elevation into the internal man,
and finally into the very inmost man,
where they become celestial good.

AC 10248 - "an age"

AC 10248 [7]
. . . "an age" signifies what is eternal,
because it is said of the Lord and of His kingdom,
and of heaven and the life there, whereof there is no end . . . .

AC 10235 - washing

AC 10235
. . . evils cannot possibly be washed away by water,
but by repentance.

AC 10233 - the laver

AC 10233
Verses 17-21.
And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying,
And thou shalt make a laver of brass,
and its base of brass, for washing;
and thou shalt put it between the Tent of meeting and the altar,
and thou shalt put waters therein.
And Aaron and his sons shall wash from it their hands and their feet.
When they enter into the Tent of meeting they shall wash with waters,
that they die not;
or when they come near unto the altar to minister,
to burn a fire-offering to Jehovah.
And they shall wash their hands and their feet,
that they die not; and it shall be to them a statute of an age,
to him and to his seed, to their generations.
(Exodus 30:17-21)

"And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying,"
signifies perceptivity from enlightenment through the Word by the Lord;
"and thou shalt make a laver of brass,"
signifies the good of the natural man, in which is purification;
"and its base of brass,"
signifies the good of the ultimate of the natural, which is of the sensuous;
"for washing"
signifies purification from evils and falsities;
"and thou shalt put it between the Tent of meeting and the altar,"
signifies that there may be the conjunction of truth and good;
"and thou shalt put waters therein,"
signifies the truths of faith, through which there is purification in the natural;
"and Aaron and his sons shall wash from it,"
signifies a representative of
the purification and regeneration of man by the Lord;
"their hands and their feet,"
signifies the interiors and exteriors of man;
"when they enter into the Tent of meeting,"
signifies worship from the good of faith;
"they shall wash with waters,"
signifies purification by means of the truths of faith;
"that they die not,"
signifies lest the representative perish;
"or when they come near to the altar to minister,
to burn a fire-offering to Jehovah,"
signifies worship from the good of love;
"and they shall wash their hands and their feet,"
signifies the purification of the interiors and the exteriors of man;
"that they die not,"
signifies lest the representative perish;
"and it shall be to them a statute of an age,"
signifies an eternal law of order;
"to him and to his seed, to their generations,"
signifies all who receive the things that proceed from the Lord,
thus who are being regenerated by Him.

AC 10227 - the rich, the poor, and those with property

AC 10227
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less,
from the half of the shekel, to give an uplifting to Jehovah.
(Exodus 30:15)
That this signifies that all, of whatever ability they may be,
must ascribe all things of truth from good to the Lord,
is evident from the signification of "one who is rich,"
as being one who abounds in truths and goods and their knowledges;
from the signification of "one who is poor,"
as being one who does not abound in these things;
and from the signification of "not giving more," and "not giving less,"
as being all equally;
from the signification of "half a shekel," as being all things of truth from good;
and from the signification of "giving to Jehovah,"
as being to ascribe to the Lord;
for by "Jehovah" in the Word is meant the Lord.

[2] The case herein is this.
All have the capacity to understand and to be wise;
but the reason one person is wiser than another
is that they do not in like manner ascribe to the Lord
all things of intelligence and wisdom, which are all things of truth and good.
They who ascribe all to the Lord are wiser than the rest,
because all things of truth and good, which constitute wisdom,
flow in from heaven, that is, from the Lord there.
The ascription of all things to the Lord
opens the interiors of a person toward heaven,
for thus it is acknowledged that nothing of truth and good is from himself;
and in proportion as this is acknowledged, the love of self departs,
and with the love of self the thick darkness from falsities and evils.
In the same proportion also the man comes into innocence,
and into love and faith to the Lord,
from which comes conjunction with the Divine, influx thence, and enlightenment.

[3] By the capacity to be wise is not meant the capacity to reason
about truths and goods from memory-knowledges,
nor the capacity to confirm whatever one pleases;
but the capacity to discern what is true and good,
to choose what is suitable, and to apply it to the uses of life.
They who ascribe all things to the Lord do thus discern, choose, and apply;
while those who do not ascribe to the Lord, but to themselves,
know merely how to reason about truths and goods;
nor do they see anything except what is from others;
and this not from reason, but from the activity of the memory.

[18]
Whosoever he be of you that renounces not all his property,
he cannot be My disciple.
(Luke 14:33);

. . . by "property" are here meant all things
which are from man's own intelligence,
for no one can be wise from himself, but only from the Lord;
wherefore "to renounce all property"
denotes to attribute nothing of intelligence and wisdom to self;
and he who does not do this cannot be instructed by the Lord,
that is, "be His disciple."

AC 10219 - How does the "as of self" work?

AC 10219
It is said "as from self,"
because the goods which a person does he does as from himself,
nor does he perceive otherwise until he is in faith from love.
For goods flow in from the Lord and are received by the person,
and those which are received
are at first felt no otherwise than as in himself and from himself;
nor is it perceived that they are from the Lord
until he comes into knowledge,
and afterward into acknowledgment from faith.
For before this he cannot reflect that anything flows in from the Divine;
nor can he at all perceive this, that is, be sensible of it in himself,
until he begins to will and to love that it be so.

[3] But so long as a person believes that he does all things of himself,
both goods and evils,
so long goods do not affect him,
and evils adhere to him;
but the moment that he acknowledges and believes
that goods flow in from the Lord,
and not from himself,
and that evils are from hell,
then goods affect him and evils do not adhere to him;
and, moreover, insofar as goods affect him,
so far evils are removed, thus he is purified and liberated from them.
But so long as the state of a person is such
that he cannot perceive and be sensible
of the influx of goods from the Lord,
so long he does goods as from himself,
and yet ought to acknowledge and believe that they are from the Lord.
When this is the case, he also is liberated from evils;
but in order that he may be liberated from evils
this acknowledgment must be the confession of the heart itself,
and not of the lips only.

AC 10216 - perception, intelligence & wisdom

AC 10216
Perception flows in from the Lord, who is the Word;
for everything of intelligence and wisdom is from the Lord,
and without Him there is none at all.

AC 10215 - "And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying." (Exodus 30:11)

AC 10215
And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying.
(Exodus 30:11)
That this signifies enlightenment through the Word by the Lord,
is evident from the signification of "speaking,"
when by Jehovah to Moses,
as being enlightenment by the Lord through the Word;
for "Jehovah" in the Word denotes the Lord,
and by Moses is represented the Word;
for by "speaking" is signified influx, perception, and instruction,
consequently also enlightenment,
for enlightenment is influx, perception, and instruction by the Lord
when the Word is being read.
That these things are signified by "Jehovah speaking to Moses,"
is because these words
are not perceived in heaven in the same way as on earth;
for in heaven words are perceived according to the internal sense,
but on earth according to the external sense,
for in heaven all things are understood spiritually, but on earth naturally.
The spiritual understanding is instantaneous,
without any knowledge of what is understood
in the external or literal sense by a person.
Such is the consociation of the angels of heaven with a person,
for the reason that everything of a person's thought
flows in from the spiritual world,
and thus that in its first origin his thought is spiritual,
and becomes natural in the external man by means of influx.

AC 10206 - regeneration is one thing, and worship is another

AC 10206
Regeneration is one thing, and worship another;
for regeneration is first,
and the worship is according to the quality of the person's regeneration;
for his worship is accepted and is pleasing in the proportion
that he has been purified from evils and the consequent falsities,
and accordingly in the proportion
that the truths and goods of faith and of love have been implanted.
For by worship is meant everything
that proceeds from love and faith with a person,
and is uplifted to the Lord by the Lord.
As this is the full completion,
the altar of incense, by which worship was represented,
is described last;
for all things follow in order
according to the series in which they are described.

First is described the Testimony,
by which is meant the Lord;

next the ark in which was the Testimony,
by which is signified the inmost heaven where the Lord is;

afterward the table on which were the breads,
by which is signified the good of love therefrom;

and also the lampstand with the lamps,
by which is signified the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good;

then the Tent itself,
by which is signified heaven and the church which are from these;

at length the altar of burnt-offering,
by which is signified regeneration by means of truths from good;

and lastly the altar of incense,
by which is signified worship from all these in heaven and in the church.

AC 10194 - founded on good

AC 10194
It is believed by some that truth is that on which all things are founded;
but they are very much mistaken;
for no truth is possible with a person unless he is in good.
The truth with a person which is devoid of good
is an external without an internal,
thus a shell without a kernel,
residing only in the memory.

AC 10182 - all the power of truth is from the good of love

AC 10182 [4 & 6]
The power of Divine truth is meant also by "the Word" in John:

All things were made by the Word,
and without Him was not anything made that was made.
(John 1:3)

. . . "the Word" denotes the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Divine good;
wherefore also the Lord when in the world first made Himself Divine truth,
which is also meant by "the Word was made flesh" (verse 14).
The reason why the Lord then made Himself Divine truth,
was in order that He might fight against all the hells and subjugate them,
and thus reduce into order all things there,
and at the same time all things in the heavens.

That truths from good have such power
cannot be apprehended by those
who have the idea that truth and its faith are mere thought;
when yet a person's thought from his will
produces all the strength of his body,
and if it were inspired by the Lord through His Divine truth,
a person would have the strength of Samson.
But it is the Lord's good pleasure that in respect to the things of his spirit,
and that conduce to eternal salvation,
a person should have strength through faith from love.