AE 401 - Sun , Moon, & Stars and Precious Stones

AE 401 [23, 25]

"Praise Jehovah, all His angels;
praise Him, all his hosts;
praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you stars of light;
praise Him, you heaven of heavens."
(Psalm 148:1-4).

By praising Jehovah is meant to worship Him.
By the angels are meant those
who are in Divine truths from the good of love,
for such are angels.
By all the hosts are meant goods and truths
in their whole compass.
By the sun and moon are meant the good of love
and the truth from that good.
By the stars of light are meant
the knowledges of truth from good.
By the heavens of heavens are meant goods and truths
both internal and external.
Because a person worships the Lord
from those things that he has from the Lord,
thus from the goods and truths which he has,
and because person also is a person from them,
it is therefore said to them,
namely, to the sun, moon, and stars,
by which are meant goods and truths,
that they shall praise, that is, worship Jehovah.
Who does not know that the sun, moon, and stars
do not praise, that is, worship?
__________

"I will make your suns a ruby,
and your gates into stones of carbuncle,
and all your border into stones of desire."
(Isaiah 54:12).

These things are said of the Gentiles outside the church,
from whom a new church was to be established by the Lord.
By, "I will make thy suns a ruby," is meant,
that goods [shall be] brilliant from the fire of love,
suns there denoting the goods of love,
and the ruby denoting a brilliance as from fire.
By, "I will make thy gates into stones of carbuncle,"
(a carbuncle is often a red garnet)
is meant, that truths [shall be] resplendent from good,
gates denoting the introductory truths,
specifically the doctrinals that are from good.
For all genuine truths of doctrine proceed from good,
and are goods;
and carbuncle stones signify their brightness from good,
all precious stones signifying truths from good,
[and] the color, brightness, and fire thereof,
indicating the quality of truth from good. By,
"I will make all their border into stones of desire,"
is meant, that the scientific truths
which pertain to the natural person,
shall be pleasant and delightful from good;
for by a border is meant the same as by a foundation,
and this is the natural person,
because in the things there
the goods and truths of the spiritual person are terminated,
and stones of desire
denote truths pleasant and delightful from good.
By these are meant the goods and truths of the Word
which those have who belong to the New Church,
[and] which will be of such a nature.