AC 9804 - Exodus 28; AC 9809, 9814, 9815 - Garments of Holiness

AC 9804 - The Contents of Exodus 28

The subject here treated of is
the garments of holiness which Aaron and his sons
were to put on when they ministered.
By the priesthood
which Aaron with his sons was to administer
was represented the Lord
in respect to the Divine celestial,
which is the Divine good in heaven;
and by Aaron's garments
was represented the Divine spiritual,
which is the Divine truth proceeding from there.

AC 9809 [6, 7]

As the priestly office was representative of the Lord
in respect to all the work of salvation from Divine love,
therefore also all Divine worship
belonged to the office of the priest . . ..

As the Lord in respect to the whole work of salvation
was represented by the high-priest,
and the work of salvation itself by his office,
which is called the priesthood,
therefore no inheritance and portion with the people
was given to Aaron and his sons,
for it is declared that Jehovah God
is their inheritance and portion (Numbers 18:20);
neither was any portion given to the Levites,
because they belonged to Aaron
(Num. 26:58-63; Deut. 10:9; 18:1, 2).
For the people represented heaven and the church,
but Aaron with his sons and with the Levites
represented the good of love and of faith
which makes heaven and the church,
thus they represented the Lord from whom is this good.
For this reason the land
was granted to the people for an inheritance,
but not to the priests, for the Lord is in them,
but not among them
as one of them and distinct from them.

AC 9814 [1]

For Aaron represented the Lord
as to the Divine celestial;
from which the garments joined to him
represented the Divine spiritual
joined to the celestial kingdom,
as a garment is to the body.
The Divine spiritual is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good;
this appears in heaven as light,
and moreover, is the light
which illumines the external
as well as the internal sight of the angels.
The modification of this light
according to the recipient subjects, which are angels,
presents to the sight various phenomena,
such as clouds, rainbows, colors,
and splendors, of various kinds;
and it also presents shining garments about the angels.
From this it can be seen
that the spiritual kingdom of the Lord
was represented by Aaron's garments of holiness.

AC 9815

. . . the brightness and beauty of Divine truth
as it appears in externals
is meant by "comeliness."
. . . in the internal sense is called "glory" . . ..