LEVITICUS 8
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Leviticus Chapter 8

Summary of the Spiritual Sense

1. The general subject of the whole chapter is the glorification of the Lord, and, at the same time, the regeneration of man, vers. 1-5.
2. And first, with regard to the Lord, there is the putting off of the Human from the mother, and with regard to man purification from actual evil by repentance, ver. 6.
3. Then it follows that there is the reception of Divine Truths in successive order, and the conjunction of truth with good giving wisdom and enlightenment, vers. 7-13.
4. Also the natural affections must be purified, in order that they may be brought into harmony with the higher affections, vers. 14-17.
5. Moreover, the spiritual affections must be wholly consecrated to the Lord, and thus the good of innocence must be realized internally as well as externally, vers. 18-21.
6. And now, therefore, the regenerated man is fully inaugurated into the realization of good, and thus into a life of good acting by truth, and consequently into the active life of charity followed by the reciprocal conjunction of truth with good, vers. 22-30.
7. After which there is the full and perpetual appropriation of good without any admixture of evil; and thus is accomplished the glorification of the Lord and the regeneration of man, first by complete separation from all evil, and secondly by the reception of all good and truth embodied in perfect obedience, according to the laws of Divine Order by influx from the Lord and by co-operation on the part of man, vers. 31-36.

1.  This is evident, because by Jehovah is denoted the Divine Being as to His love, 2001; by speaking is denoted influx, 2951; by Moses is represented Divine Truth or the Word, 7010, 6752; and by saying is denoted perception, 1791, 1822.

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2.  Aaron and his sons denote celestial good and the truths thence derived, 9946; garments denote spiritual truths to be conjoined with celestial good, 9814; the anointing oil denotes celestial good, 9954, 10011; the bullock denotes natural good in the external man, 9990, the rams denote spiritual good in the internal man, 9991, and burnt offerings and sacrifices denote purification from evil, 9991; and the basket of unleavened bread denotes celestial good free from falsity in all its degrees with the Sensual which is a receptacle, 9996, 10080.

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3.  This appears, from the signification of assembling, as denoting arrangement into order as the effect of the universal influx of the Lord, and thus as denoting the glorification of the Lord and the regeneration of man, 6338; of all the congregation as denoting all the affections and powers of man, because it denotes all things of truth and good or of faith and charity, thus all the Spiritual, or all things constituting the church with man, 7830, 7843; and of the door of the tent of meeting as denoting that by which man has entrance or introduction to the heavenly life, 2356, 3540³.

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4.  Moses denotes Divine Truth, or the Word, 7010, 6752; commanding denotes influx, 5486; the Lord, or Jehovah, denotes the Divine Being as to His love, 2001; the congregation denotes the Human of the Lord, and the various powers of man, 7830, 7843; being assembled denotes, here, preparation for the heavenly life, 6338; and the door denotes the acknowledgement of the Lord, 2356, 3540³.

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5.  This is evident, because Moses denotes Divine Truth, or the Word, 7010, 6752; saying denotes perception, 1791, 1822; the congregation denotes the man of the church, 7830, 7843; and the thing which the Lord has commanded to be done denotes the glorification of the Lord and the regeneration of man, as is plain from what precedes and follows.

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6.  This appears thus: Aaron and his sons denote the Lord as to Divine Good and Divine Truth, and thence man as to good and truth received from the Lord, 9946; and washing in water denotes, with regard to the Lord, the putting off of the human nature from the mother, and with regard to man the work of repentance, or of purification from evil, 10239, 3147, 10002.

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7.  The coat denotes inmost truths, the uniting medium between the celestial and spiritual heavens, 10004; the girdle denotes the common bond of love which unites those truths, and distinguishes them, 9828, 10014; the robe denotes the interior truths of the spiritual kingdom, 10005; the ephod denotes ultimate truths therefrom, 9824, 10006; and the band of the ephod denotes the common bond conjoining these, 9824, 9837.

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8.  By the breastplate is denoted Divine Truth shining forth from Divine Good, 10007; and by Urim and Thummim are denoted the mind of the man of the church filled even to ultimates with clear perceptions of good and truth, 9905.

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9.  By the mitre set upon Aaron's head is denoted wisdom from the Lord in the inmost, 9827, 10008; and by the golden plate, the holy crown, is denoted enlightenment thence in ultimates, or enlightenment from the Divine Human, according to the influx of Divine Good into Divine Truth, 9930, 9932, 10009, 2001, 5486, 7010.

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10.  This is evident, because Moses denotes Divine Truth, 7010; his taking the oil denotes conjunction with Divine Good, 10010-11; anointing the tabernacle and all that was therein denotes conjunction also with the interiors of those in the middle heaven, or the interiors of the mind of the regenerated man corresponding thereto, 9594; and sanctifying them denotes the effect, namely a state of holiness, 9820, 9956.

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11.  To sprinkle the oil upon the altar denotes to conjoin good with truth in the worship of the Lord from love, 9954; seven times denotes in all fullness and holiness, 10127, 716; and anointing the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base to sanctify them, denotes not only the devotion of the soul to the Lord by such conjunction, but also the consecration of all recipient truths, interior, exterior, and external, which are thereby rendered pure and holy, 9954, 10274, 10275, 9820.

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12.  Pouring of the oil on the head of Aaron to sanctify him, denotes that especially must Divine Good itself flow in and vivify the Human of the Lord, and the soul of man with good conjoined to truth from the highest degree to the lowest, 10010, 10011.

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13.  Here Moses denotes Divine Truth or the Word, 7010; Aaron's sons denote the spiritual as distinguished from the celestial man, 9946; to be clothed with coats denotes to be instructed in truths, 9814; girdles denote the common bond of affection, 10014; to bind caps upon them denotes to endow them with intelligence from wisdom, 9949, 10016; and as the Lord commanded Moses denotes according to the influx of Divine Good into Divine Truth, or according to Divine Order, 2001, 5486, 7010, 911.

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14.  The bullock of the sin offering denotes the natural man and its purification, 10021; and Aaron and his sons laying their hands upon the head of it denotes communication, translation, and reception with power, and thus the conjunction of the higher powers and the lower, 10023.

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15.  Slaying the bullock denotes preparation, 10024; Moses represents Divine Truth, 7010; accommodation to the natural man is denoted by the blood of the bullock, 10026; the putting of the blood upon the horns of the altar denotes operation with power in the worship of the Lord, 10027, 9964; the finger also denotes power, 7430; the bullock as a sin offering denotes the purification of the natural man, 10024; the blood on the horns of the altar also denotes purification even to ultimates or to the sensual life, 10186; and pouring the blood at the base of the altar denotes that the natural man must be brought into harmony with the spiritual, 10028.

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16.  Here the fat upon the inwards, or intestines, denotes good in the lowest degree, 10033, 353, 9632; the long lobe upon the liver denotes interior natural good, 10031; the two kidneys and their fat denote the natural power of discriminating truths, with its good, 10032, 10074, 353; and burning all upon the altar, denotes being ascribed to the Lord and devoted to Him, 10052.

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17.  The bullock, in this case, denotes the merely natural man, and the flesh the evil thereof, 10035; the skin denotes falsity, 10036; the dung denotes everything evil which, by discrimination, has been separated from good, 10037; to be burnt with fire denotes rejection from the heavenly life, through self-love, and without the camp, denotes hell, 10038; and as the Lord commanded Moses denotes according to the influx of Divine Good into Divine Truths, 2001, 5486, 7010.

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18.  The ram denotes the good of innocence in the internal man, or spiritual good which is charity, 10042; as a burnt offering denotes full devotion to the Lord, or plenary regeneration, and thus purification, 10053; and Aaron and his sons laying their hands upon the head of the ram denotes the communication of power from the Lord through celestial good and its truths, 9946, 10023.

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19.  Killing the ram denotes preparation, 10024; and the blood being sprinkled on the altar round about denotes that the conjunction of Divine Good with Divine Truth must be effected in the Internal, 10047.

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20.  Cutting the ram into pieces denotes a proper arrangement of goods and truths with the regenerating man, 10048; and Moses burning the head, and the pieces, and the fat, denotes that goods and truths must be ascribed to the Lord, and devoted to Him from pure love, as to inmost things, as to exterior things, and, in fact, as to all celestial good, 10052, 10051, 10033.

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21.  Washing the inwards and the legs with water denotes that the sensual and natural affections must be purified by the application of the truths of the Word, 10049, 10050, 2702; burning the whole ram upon the altar denotes the consecration of the whole internal man to the Lord, 10052; a sweet savour, or an odour of rest denotes that heavenly peace and rest are thereby realized, 10054; an offering made by fire denotes worship from pure love, 10055; and as the Lord commanded Moses denotes influx from the Lord and co-operation with Him through obedience to the truths of the Word, 2001, 5486, 7010.

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22.  This appears from the signification of the second ram as denoting Divine Truth proceeding from Divine Good in the heavens, in order that truth may act from good, 10057; and of Aaron and his sons laying their hands upon the head of the ram, as denoting the influx of Divine Good and Divine Truth with power, 10058.

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23.  By the slaying of the ram is denoted preparation, in this case, for the performance of uses from the consecrated soul, or from the fullness of Divine Truth in its power, because the second ram was called the ram of consecration, or of the filling of the hand, 10059, 10060; by the blood is denoted the Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Good of the Lord in the heavens, 10060; by the blood put upon the tip of Aaron's right ear is denoted full perception of truth from good in the celestial degree, 10061; by its being put on the thumb of his right hand is denoted intelligence in the spiritual degree, 10062; and by its being put on the great toe of his right foot is denoted intelligence in the ultimate or natural degree of him who is in the course of regeneration, or in the celestial heavens, 10063.

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24.  This is demonstrated from the signification of Aaron's sons as denoting those in the inferior heavens, 9946, 10099; from what is said in the previous verse; and from the sprinkling the blood on the altar round about as denoting the conjunction of good and truth in worship in every mode and degree, 10047.

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25.  The fat denotes all celestial, spiritual good, 10033; the fat tail denotes the good of truth, or exterior good, 10071; the fat of the inwards denotes external good, 10030; the long lobe upon the liver denotes interior good, 10031; the two kidneys and their fat denote all spiritual truth serving for discrimination or purification, and conjoined with their good, 10032; and the right thigh denotes all interior truth conjoined with its good in the heavenly marriage, 10075.

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26.  The basket denotes the Sensual as the receptacle, 9996, 10080; unleavened bread denotes what is purified from evil and falsity, 9992; one unleavened cake, or one loaf of bread, denotes inmost celestial good, 10077; one cake of oiled bread denotes all interior celestial good, 10078; one wafer denotes all ultimate celestial good, 10079; and their being placed upon the fat and the right thigh denotes that these things are from the Divine Good through the heavenly marriage, 10033, 10075.

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27.  Putting the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons denotes acknowledgement in the heavens that those things are of the Lord, and thus that they are communicated from Him, 10082; and their being waved as a wave offering before the Lord denotes vivification from the Lord, 10083.

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28.  Here by Moses is denoted Divine Truth, 7010; burning all upon the altar of burnt offering denotes consecration to the Lord in the worship of a good life, 10052; a consecration to the Lord for a sweet savour, or an odour of rest, denotes a state of joy and peace, 10054; and an offering made by fire to the Lord denotes the worship of the Lord from pure love, 10055.

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29.  Moses taking the breast and waving it for a wave offering before the Lord denotes that all in Divine Truths in the spiritual heavens live the active life of charity from the Lord, 10087, 10089, 10090; Moses' portion of the ram of consecration, or fillings of the hand, denotes that charity is the essential of the spiritual man, and the spiritual heavens, because Moses denotes those in the heavens who are in Divine Truths, 10090; the breast denotes charity, 10087, and the ram of fillings denotes the state of the fully regenerated spiritual man in its activity and power, 10057; and as the Lord commanded Moses, denotes by influx from the Lord into Divine Truth, 7010, 5486, 2001.

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30.  By Moses is denoted Divine Truth, 7010; by Aaron and his garments are represented Divine Good and Divine Truth in the superior heavens, 10067; by his sons and their garments are denoted Divine Good and Divine Truth in the inferior heavens, 10068; by sprinkling is denoted conjunction, 10067; by the blood and the oil both being used together, the one representing Divine Truth and the other Divine Good, is denoted reciprocal conjunction, 10065, 10066, 10067; and thus there is sanctification as to celestial good and truth and as to spiritual good and truth, 10069.

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31.  Here, saying denotes perception, 1791, 1822; Moses denotes Divine Truth, 7010; Aaron and his sons denote the celestial and spiritual man, because they denote good and truth respectively, 9946; boiling the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting, or in the holy place, denotes preparation for appropriation of good by the acknowledgement of the Lord and His influence through the heavens, 10105, 2356, 3540³; eating denotes appropriation, 2187; the flesh denotes spiritual good and the bread celestial good, 10106, 10107; the basket denotes the receptacle, or the external Sensual, 10107; Aaron and his sons having it denotes appropriation with the celestial and spiritual man, 9946; and as I commanded denotes according to Divine Order, 7010, 5486, 10119.

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32.  That which remains of the flesh and the bread being burnt with fire denotes that all good which is not appropriated from the Lord is of self-love and must be rejected and dissipated, 10114, 10115.

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33.  Not going out from the door of the tent of meeting seven days until the days of consecration be fulfilled, denotes that the glorification of the Lord and the regeneration of man must be full and complete in every respect, 2356, 3540³, 10102, 10103; and for he shall consecrate you seven days, denotes that the regenerated man shall enjoy the heavenly state to eternity, 10360.

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34.  As has been done this day so the Lord has commanded to do, to make atonement for you, denotes that every state of regeneration is a representation of the whole process in an image, because the same ceremonies of consecration were performed on each day of the seven, and the number seven denotes "an entire period from beginning to end greater or less," 10127, 1040.

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35.  The door of the tent of meeting denotes the acknowledgement of the Lord and of His operation through the heavens, 2356, 3540³; abiding there day and night seven days denotes full and complete and therefore perpetual acknowledgement, 10102, 10103; day and night denotes in every state of brightness and of obscurity, 936; keeping the charge of the Lord evidently denotes fulfilling the law of the Lord, 9149; not dying denotes deliverance from spiritual death, 81; and "so I have commanded," denotes co-operation with the Lord, because it denotes acting according to influx from consent and not from compulsion, which is truly to keep the charge or commandments of the Lord, 6105.

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36.  Aaron and his sons doing all the things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, denotes that thus the Lord is glorified and thus man is regenerated, namely by influx and co-operation through correspondence, 5486, 6105.

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As this whole chapter is, generally speaking, similar, in the series of the internal sense, to Exodus xxix., of course the exposition given is similar, both chapters describing the glorification of the Lord and the regeneration of man. But still there are some differences as to particulars, which may be noticed as we proceed.

Observe, therefore, that each chapter commences with an introduction or preface, that in Exodus covering the first three verses, and that in Leviticus the first five. Also in both prefaces the general truth is involved that the Lord was glorified, and that man is regenerated by the operation of the Lord through interior things, and the co-operation of man in externals, the former being represented by the bullock, the two rams and the unleavened bread, and the latter by the basket. Thirdly, we see that, in both cases, the things offered in sacrifice denote the higher affections of man received from the Lord, and named according to the order of regeneration as it appears to man, from externals to internals, and that the whole congregation assembled at the door of the tent of meeting represent the lower affections of man united in acknowledgement of the Lord, in the first instance, as the beginning of the way to the heavenly life. And lastly, we may notice that Aaron and his sons sustain the double representation of Divine Good and Divine Truth proceeding immediately from the Lord, and of the man of the church as receptive of those principles; while the doing of the Lord's will is in both prefaces emphasized, as the grand means of ascending from the lower life to the higher, or of expressing the higher life in the lower, this obedience being mentioned first in Exodus and last in Leviticus, the differences in arrangement being due to the fact that it is first as a means leading to love, and last as the effect of a state of love.

Coming now to the particulars, we learn from each of these chapters that purification from evil and error is the first work both in the glorification of the Lord and in the regeneration of man, this being denoted by the washing of Aaron and his sons. The Lord, however, had no evil of His own from which He needed to be cleansed, but only tendencies to evil from the maternal life, and hence the washing, in His case, denotes the entire removal of those tendencies, and of that maternal life, the final consequence being that the very Divine Life itself descended into the ultimate plane of the Body, which could not "see corruption" as man's body does, because of its Divine origin and formation; for substance which, in the first place, is produced by the Divine Being, and in the second is formed or organized by His life is, on these accounts, imperishable. And these considerations will enable us to see, in some respects, the character, so to speak, of what is Divine substantial, as distinguished from what is material (Doct. of the Lord, 35). But man, on the other hand, has actual evil, as well as hereditary tendencies to evil from both his parents, and therefore from these he requires to be continually purified by the application of the external truths of the Word, to which water corresponds, before he can become fully receptive of the heavenly life. Every one, indeed, must first "cease to do evil" before he can truly or perfectly "learn to do well." And let it be here noted also, that in man's case evil and error are not actually abolished, but remain with him to eternity, 868, the effect of sincere repentance being, not the absolute destruction of evil, but its removal so as no longer to appear.

But the effect of the removal of evil by repentance, we next learn, is the reception and acknowledgement and love of heavenly truths from the Lord, through the Word, and these are represented by the garments of Aaron and his sons, which require some attention; for in respect to them the account in Leviticus varies from that in Exodus; and as no statement of the literal sense of the Word is without a definite purpose with regard to the internal sense, it is legitimate to look for the signification of these variations. It is, we believe, grounded in the circumstance that, while the chapter in Exodus describes the glorification of the Lord and the regeneration of man in reference to those under instruction, or in a state of truth leading to good, that in Leviticus describes it in reference more particularly to those who are in the act of being inaugurated into the state of good. And because of this we find that especially in regard to the naming of the garments, or spiritually, in regard to the arrangement of truths, the account in Leviticus is, respectively, more precise and full than that in Exodus. For example, in Leviticus we have, in regular order, the coat with the girdle thereof, the robe, the ephod, and the girdle of the ephod, followed by the breastplate, the Urim and Thummim, the mitre and the golden plate; but in Exodus the order is, the coat, the robe, the ephod, the breastplate and the girdle of the ephod, followed by the mitre and the holy crown. Why, then, is the inner girdle omitted; and why is the breastplate here named before the girdle of the ephod, and not after it? Now the inner girdle denotes the inmost bond of love in the spiritual kingdom, 9945, and the girdle of the ephod denotes the external bond of love there, 9895, and therefore the omission of the inner girdle, while yet the outer girdle is mentioned, indicates that the spiritual man, in his early experiences, is more under the influence of external affections and less under the influence of things internal; and the naming of both girdles in their proper order in Leviticus, indicates that, in his more advanced state, he is more led by internal bonds than by external, because then the internal rules more completely. And with regard to the breastplate, which denotes Divine Truth shining forth from Divine Good, whereas the girdle denotes the common bond of love, it is named first in Exodus, to denote that in early stages of regeneration truth is the leading principle, and second in Leviticus to denote that, later, love is the ruling power. For truly it is love, and especially love as expressed in ultimates, or in the actions, which unites and binds together good and truth from the lowest degree of the life even to the highest. And indeed when love rules, another effect follows, namely, that the revelation of truth also is more resplendent; and this explains why the Urim and Thummim are particularly mentioned in Leviticus but omitted in Exodus. But in both the chapters under consideration the mitre and the golden plate are last mentioned, and denote respectively Divine Wisdom and intelligence, and enlightenment from the Divine Human. And it is said, ''according to the influx of Divine Good into Divine Truth," because, in our chapter, the golden plate is also called the holy crown, whereas in the parallel passage in Exodus, it is only called the holy crown, showing that the enlightenment is not so great during the state of instruction in truth leading to good as in the state of actual inauguration into good. We may notice also that, in the Hebrew, and according to the correspondence of each word, the expression " plate of gold" indicates truth derived from good, and the expression "crown of holiness," good derived from truth, the former, therefore, being peculiar to the more perfect state of good, and the latter to the less perfect state of instruction; while the use of the two expressions combined, as in our chapter, will indicate, appropriately, the conjunction of truth with good in fullness. But lastly, it is remarkable that in the exposition of the internal sense, in series, in Exodus, there is what appears to be a singular omission. For after quoting verses 4-9 of the chapter according to his method, quite correctly, the author proceeds to give the spiritual meaning of each sentence, but does not give the meaning of the last sentence of verse 5, namely, "and you shall gird him with the girdle of the ephod," which signifies, according to 9837, the "general bond, by which interior things are held together in connection"; and "an outward bond, because the ephod signifies the External of the spiritual kingdom." Now why is this omission made, both in giving the internal sense in series, 9999, and in giving the proof and explanation of the meaning of each term, 10006, 10007, when yet, since the sentence, under consideration occurs, in the literal sense, at the end of verse 5, it must cohere, in its spiritual sense, with what precedes, and with what follows? For there can be nothing superfluous, and nothing wanting, in the literal sense of the Word. What, then, is the explanation? It is that in speaking of the ephod in 10006, the girdle of the ephod is evidently included, as will appear from a careful perusal of 9824, which is given as a reference; besides which, the mention of the girdle of "Aaron and his sons" again in verse 9, may also have contributed to the omission of a particular exposition of the last sentence of verse 5. Moreover, the last period of 9824, to which number the author refers in 10006, clearly shows that the omission could not have been inadvertent, since it is this last sentence of Exodus 29:5, and Leviticus 8:7 which is mentioned to show the derivation of the Hebrew word for ephod from an expression, meaning "enclosing all interior things." Thus, the girdle being considered in this case as a part of the ephod, its internal sense is involved in what is said of the ephod.

Continuing now our comparison of the different sections of these two chapters, we next observe that the anointing is much more fully described in Leviticus than in Exodus; and that the reason of this is because the inauguration into the state of good involves the sanctification of every degree of the life from the highest to the lowest, this indeed being signified in Exodus by anointing the head of Aaron, expressing the great truth in the highest sense, that the Human of the Lord was from His conception and birth, essentially, wholly Divine in all its degrees, but that, as described in Leviticus, it only became actually and fully Divine by the process of glorification, involving the conjunction of good with truth in successive order, as denoted by anointing the tabernacle and all that was therein, the altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base; and in simultaneous order by pouring of the anointing oil on Aaron's head to sanctify him. See also a variation of the description of the same process in 10250.

But noting, in passing, the distinction between the signification of the garments of Aaron himself and the garments of his sons, as signifying the Divine Spiritual proceeding from the celestial, and spiritual truths in a lower degree, respectively, we come to the consideration of the sacrifices. And here we observe that the purification of the natural man is described in similar order in both chapters by the sacrifice of the bullock and the various circumstances attending it; and that the same remark is applicable to the purification of the internal man denoted by the first ram as a burnt offering. Hence, then, there is no necessity to dwell upon the particulars. But the offering of the second ram demands more attention; and first it may appear strange that two rams were offered; for the ram in both cases will have the same general correspondence. It was because two distinct states of man were to be represented, namely, by the first ram the state of truth leading to good, and by the second the state of truth proceeding from good; or, in other words, the life of man in the course of regeneration, and his life in consequence of regeneration, when he is inaugurated into the state of acting from good by means of truth. Hence this second ram is called the ram of fillings, of the filling of the hand, or the ram of consecration. And here, indeed, an important thought is worth mentioning. It is not sufficient in order to understand and interpret the spiritual sense of the Word correctly, simply to know the correspondence and signification of each term in the literal sense, or even to have a tolerably clear perception of spiritual things in general. For there appear to be some particular instances in which a higher inspiration is necessary. And this is manifest in the case before us. Unless the Writings had pointed out the distinction of which we are speaking, indeed, or unless the general expositor continually receives help from the Lord enlightening him, and in some special cases, unless revelation were given, by inspiration which is not perceived because it is influx, internally, it would seem impossible to discern the hidden meaning of a passage. Hence some persons have imagined that no one but a person specially appointed by the Lord, as Swedenborg was (TCR 779), ought to presume to interpret, in series, whole books of the Word according to the internal sense; but experience has proved the contrary; and, truly, there is no reason why an ordinary student of the Word should not be privileged to do this in the ordinary way by devout and careful study, and in humble dependence upon the Lord, Who, we are assured, teaches every one by the Word. No doubt, however, that when a distinction like that of which the series here treats is made known it can be seen how all the particulars combine to confirm the truth. Thus in verse 23 we have described the second general effect of action from good, namely, the perception of truths, and a more powerful operation of truths in ultimates for the performance of uses. We say here "of him who is in the course of regeneration, as well as of one who is in the celestial or spiritual heavens," because the former certainly do occasionally enjoy a foretaste of the delight of acting from good, or of the delight of doing good without any admixture of selfish motives. And then we see in the following verses as far as to the end of verse 29, how the full realization of the delight of good is described, its full acknowledgement and reception from the Lord by the celestial man, and its acknowledgement and increased activity with the spiritual man, these things being denoted by the heave thigh and the wave breast respectively, with the rest of the things named in those verses, which were wholly consecrated to the Lord.

We now come to a point which is especially interesting. In verse 30 of our chapter is described the reciprocal union of Divine Truth with Divine Good in the Divine Human, in the superior heavens, and in the inferior heavens; and consequently this verse also describes the reciprocal conjunction of truth with good with the man who is being regenerated, to whatever heaven he may belong. As far as the Lord was concerned the Divine united itself to the Human, and the Human united itself to the Divine mutually and reciprocally; and this the Lord, in the world, effected by His own proper power because the Divine was in Him and constituted His very soul or life, 2004. But so far as man is concerned this reciprocal union is called conjunction to distinguish it, because man has no life in himself as the Lord had; and therefore, when it is said, as it sometimes may be, that man conjoins himself with the Lord, which is the outward appearance, 2004² at the end, thereby must be understood, that the Lord, by means of sciences, knowledges, and truths, conjoins man to Himself, or, in other words, good conjoins truth with itself, and truth is conjoined with good reciprocally in the man who is being regenerated. The knowledge of this mystery, however, need cause no one to hang down his hands and wait idly for the Divine operation. Every man must still act as of himself in accepting truths and in shunning evils; for only under these conditions can the Lord effect the conjunction of truth with good in him mutually and reciprocally, as is described, in the verse under consideration, by Moses taking both the blood and the oil and sprinkling them upon Aaron and his garments, and upon his sons and their garments. But now it may be asked, " When does this reciprocal conjunction-commence with man?" And a careful perusal of 6047 will, we think, show that it begins as soon as man, from his own consciousness, affirms truth in general, and from that affirmation decides for himself concerning truths in particular, and thence begins to lead a new life. Hence, therefore, we need not be surprised to find that, in our chapter, as compared with that in Exodus, which we have been studying along with it, the reciprocal conjunction holds a different position. For it is perpetual with the regenerating man; but all the same it will vary in its character as regeneration proceeds, and this, we think, may be one reason why the account of it is placed before the offering of the second ram in Exodus, and after it in Leviticus. At any rate there are reasons for this, grounded in the internal sense; and the explanation given so fully in 10067, where this reciprocal conjunction is declared to be perpetual with man, strongly tends to confirm the thought that the Lord conjoins truth with good in man exactly in proportion as man, as of himself, willingly abstains from his evils and errors. This tends to prove then, that reciprocal conjunction, as described in Exod 29:21, is inferior in fullness and perfection to that described (Levit 8:30).

But the rest of this chapter, which speaks of the appropriation of good by man as a natural result of the reciprocal conjunction on which we have just reflected, need not detain us, except to remark that this appropriation is the crowning act, so to describe it, of the regenerate life, as well as the continual experience of the angels, as denoted by the seven days of the consecration; and to point out that the injunction to "keep the charge of the Lord that you die not," in verse 35, involves the same general truth as the injunction in Exodus, ver. 36, to offer a bullock for a sin offering on every one of the seven days of the propitiation, namely, the continual purification of man in heaven and the church even to eternity.

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