196. And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. That this signifies the spiritual life which they have procured by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, is evident from the signification of walking, as being to live (concerning which see above, n. 97), and from the signification of in white, as being in truths, for whiteness and brightness in the Word are said of truths, concerning which we shall speak presently. By walking with Me in white, is signified spiritual life for spiritual life is the life of truth, that is, life according to truths, or according to the precepts of the Lord in the Word; also from the signification of for they are worthy, as being because they have spiritual life from the Lord. In the measure that any one receives from the Lord, in the same measure he is worthy, but in the measure that he receives from himself, that is, from his own, or from his proprium, in the same measure he is not worthy. Nothing else constitutes spiritual life with man but the knowledge of truth and good from the Word applied to life; and these are applied to life when a man makes them the laws of his life; for thus he looks to the Lord in everything and the Lord is present with him, and gives him intelligence and wisdom, with their affection and delight. For the Lord is in His own truths with man, because every truth proceeds from Him; and what proceeds from the Lord is His, so that it is Himself; therefore the Lord says,

"I am the truth and the life" (John 14:6).

"He that doeth truth cometh to the light, because [his works] are wrought in God" (John 3:21).

"The Word was with God, and God was the Word. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. He was the true light which lighteth every man. And the Word was made flesh" (John 1:1, 2, 4, 9, 14).

The Lord is called the Word because the Word signifies Divine truth, and He is also called the light, because Divine truth is the light of heaven; He is also called the life, because everything that lives, lives from that light; this also is the source of intelligence and wisdom to angels, in which their life consists. He who supposes that life is from any other source than the Divine which proceeds from the Lord, which in heaven is called Divine truth, and appears there as light, is much deceived. It is therefore evident how it is to be understood that God was the Word, that in Him was life, and that the life was the light of men.

[2] The reason why white in the Word is said of truths, is, because Divine truth is the light of heaven, as just said, and from the light of heaven arise whiteness and brightness. This is why,

When the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, "His face appeared as the sun, and His garments were white as the light" (Matthew 17:2), and as "white, and glistering" (Luke 9:29), "shining white as snow, so as no fuller on earth could whiten them" (Mark 9:3).

Also why

The raiment of the angels at the sepulchre of the Lord was white as snow (Matthew 28:3), and shining (Luke 24:4);

Why there appeared to John seven angels out of the temple clothed in linen clean and shining (Apoc. 15:6);

Why those who stood before the throne of the Lamb were arrayed in white robes (Apoc. 6:11; 7:9, 13, 14; 19:8)

Why the army of Him who sat on the white horse followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Apoc. 14:14);

And why also the garments of Aaron were of linen, and he put them on when he went within the veil to the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:1-5, 32).

Linen, from its whiteness, also signifies truth (see Arcana Coelestia 7601, 9959). Because white signifies truth, and truths reveal falsities and evils in man, and so purify him, it is therefore said in David,

"Behold thou desirest truth in the reins, and in the hidden part thou makest me to know wisdom. Thou shalt purify me with hyssop that I may be clean; thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psalms 51:6, 7).

[3] Because the Nazarite represented the Lord as to Divine truth in ultimates, which upon earth is the Word in the sense of the letter, and this was falsified and perverted with the Jews, therefore it is said concerning them in the Lamentations,

"Her Nazarites were whiter than snow, they were brighter than milk, their bones were more ruddy than pearls, their polishing was of sapphire; but their form is obscured, that they are not known in the streets" (4:7, 8).

(That the Nazarites represented the Lord as to Divine truth, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 6437; that the crown of the head of the Nazarite denotes Divine truth in ultimates, or the Word in the letter, n. 6437, 9407. That the hair which was of the Nazariteship, and was called the crown of the head of the Nazarite, denotes Divine truth in ultimates, n. 3301, 5247, 10044. That Divine truth in ultimates has strength and power, n. 9836; that hence the strength of Samson was in his hair, n. 3301.)

[4] Hence it is evident what is signified by the Nazarites being whiter than snow, and brighter than milk, and by the sapphire being the polishing of their bones, but that their form was obscured, so that they were not known in the streets. For whiteness and brightness signify Divine truth in its light, as said above; and bones, because they are the ultimates in man, being the supports of his whole body, correspond to the ultimates in heaven. For all things in man corresponding to all things in heaven (see the work, Heaven and Hell 87-102. Bones therefore signify the ultimates in the spiritual world, which are also the ultimates of Divine truth or the Word, Arcana Coelestia 5560-5564, 8005. Sapphire signifies what is translucent from truth, see n. 9407; and, not being known in the streets signifies Divine truth no longer appearing; for streets signify where the truths of doctrine are, n. 2336).

4581. 'And he poured out a drink-offering onto it' means the Divine Good of Truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'a drink-offering' as the Divine Good of Truth, dealt with below. But first one must say what the good of truth is. The good of truth is that which elsewhere has been called the good of faith, which is love towards the neighbour, or charity. There are two universal kinds of good, the first being that which is called the good of faith, the second that which is referred to as the good of love. The good of faith is the kind of good meant by 'a drink-offering', and the good of love the kind meant by 'oil'. The good of love exists with those whom the Lord brings to what is good by an internal way, while the good of faith exists with those He brings to it by an external way. The good of love exists with members of the celestial Church, and likewise with angels of the inmost or third heaven, but the good of faith with members of the spiritual Church, and likewise with angels of the middle or second heaven. Consequently the first kind of good is called celestial good, whereas the second kind is called spiritual good. The difference between the two is, on the one hand, willing what is good out of a will for good and, on the other, willing what is good out of an understanding of it. The second kind of good therefore - spiritual good or the good of faith, which is the good of truth - is meant by 'a drink-offering'; but the first - celestial good or the good of love - is meant in the internal sense by 'oil'.

[2] Nobody, it is true, can see that such things as these were meant by 'oil' and 'a drink-offering' unless he does so from the internal sense. Yet anyone may see that things of a holy nature were represented by them, for unless those holy things were represented by them what else would pouring out a drink-offering or pouring oil onto a stone pillar be but some ridiculous and idolatrous action? It is like the coronation of a king. What else would the ceremonies performed on that occasion be if they did not mean and imply things of a holy nature - placing the crown on his head; anointing him with oil from a horn, on his forehead and on his wrists; placing a sceptre in his hand, as well as a sword and keys; investing him with a purple robe, and then seating him on a silver throne; and after that, his riding in his regalia on a horse, and later still his being served at table by men of distinction, besides many other ceremonies? Unless these represented things of a holy nature and were themselves holy by virtue of their correspondence with the things of heaven and consequently of the Church, they would be no more than the kind of games that young children play, though on a grander scale, or else like plays that are performed on the stage.

[3] But all those ceremonies trace their origin back to most ancient times when ceremonies were holy by virtue of their representation of things that were holy and of their correspondence with holy things in heaven and consequently in the Church. Even today they are considered holy, though not because people know their spiritual representation and correspondence but through the interpretation so to speak they put on symbols in common use. If however people did know what the crown, oil, horn, sceptre, sword, keys, purple robe, silver throne, riding on a white horse, and eating while men of distinction act as the servers, all represented and to what holy thing each corresponded, they would conceive of those things in an even holier way. But they do not know, and surprisingly do not wish to know; indeed that lack of knowledge is so great that the representatives and the meaningful signs included within such ceremonies and within every part of the Word have been obliterated from people's minds at the present day.

[4] The fact that 'a drink-offering' means the good of truth, or spiritual good, may be seen from the sacrifices in which drink-offerings were used. When sacrifices were offered they were made either from the herd or from the flock, and they were representative of internal worship of the Lord, 922, 923, 1823, 2180, 2805, 2807, 2830, 3519. To these the minchah and the drink-offering were added. The minchah, which consisted of fine flour mixed with oil, meant celestial good, or what amounted to the same, the good of love - 'the oil' meaning love to the Lord and 'the fine flour' charity towards the neighbour. But the drink-offering, which consisted of wine, meant spiritual good, or what amounted to the same, the good of faith. Both these therefore, the minchah and the drink-offering, have the same meaning as the bread and wine in the Holy Supper.

[5] The addition of a minchah and a drink-offering to a burnt offering or to a sacrifice is clear in Moses,

You shall offer two lambs in their first year, each day continually. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second you shall offer between the evenings; and a tenth of fine flour mixed with beaten oil, a quarter of a hin, and a drink-offering of a quarter of a hin of wine, for the first lamb; and so also for the second lamb. Exodus 29:38-41.

In the same author,

You shall offer on the day when you wave the sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest a lamb without blemish in its first year as a burnt offering to Jehovah, its minchah being two tenths of fine flour mixed with oil, and its drink-offering wine, a quarter of a hin. Leviticus 23:12-13, 18.

In the same author,

On the day when the days of Naziriteship are completed he is to offer his gift to Jehovah, sacrifices and also a basket of unleavened [loaves] of fine flour, cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, together with their minchah and their drink-offerings. Numbers 6:13-17.

In the same author,

Upon the burnt offering they shall offer a minchah of a tenth [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil, and wine as the drink-offering, a quarter of a hin - in one way upon the burnt offering of a ram, and in another upon that of a bull. Numbers 15:3-11.

In the same author,

With the continual burnt offering you shall offer a drink-offering, a quarter of a hin for a lamb; in the holy place pour out a drink-offering of wine to Jehovah. Numbers 28:6-7.

Further references to minchahs and drink-offerings in the different kinds of sacrifices are continued in Numbers 28:7-end; 29:1-end.

[6] The meaning that 'minchah and drink-offering' had may be seen in addition from the considerations that love and faith constitute the whole of worship, and that in the Holy Supper 'the bread' - described in the quotations above as fine flour mixed with oil - and 'the wine' mean love and faith, and so the whole of worship, dealt with in 1798, 2165, 2177, 2187, 2343, 2359, 3464, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217.

[7] But when people fell away from the genuine representative kind of worship of the Lord and turned to other gods and poured out drink-offerings to these, 'drink-offerings' came to mean things that were the reverse of charity and faith, namely the evils and falsities that go with the love of the world; as in Isaiah,

You inflamed yourselves among the gods under every green tree. You have also poured out a drink-offering to them, you have brought a minchah. Isaiah 57:5-6.

'Inflaming oneself among the gods' stands for cravings for falsity - 'gods' meaning falsities, 4402 (end), 4544. 'Under every green tree' stands for the trust in all falsities which leads to those cravings, 2722, 4552. 'Pouring out a drink-offering to them' and 'bringing a minchah' stand for the worship of those falsities. In the same prophet,

You who forsake Jehovah, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Gad, and fill a drink-offering for Meni. Isaiah 65:11.

In Jeremiah,

The sons gather pieces of wood, and the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to other gods. Jeremiah 7:18.

[8] In the same prophet,

We will surely do every word that has gone out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, as we did, we and our fathers, and our princes in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 44:17-19.

'The queen of heaven' stands for all falsities, for 'the hosts of heaven' in the genuine sense means truths, and in the contrary sense falsities, and so in the same way do 'king' and 'queen'. 'Queen' accordingly stands for all [falsities] and 'pouring out drink-offerings to her' means worshipping them.

[9] In the same prophet,

The Chaldeans will burn the city, and the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense to Baal and poured out drink-offerings to other gods. Jeremiah 32:29.

'The Chaldeans' stands for people whose worship involves falsity. 'Burning the city' stands for destroying and laying waste those whose doctrines teach falsity. Upon the roofs of the houses burning incense to Baal' stands for the worship of what is evil, 'pouring out drink-offerings to other gods' for the worship of what is false.

[10] In Hosea,

They will not dwell in Jehovah's land, but Ephraim will return to Egypt, and in Assyria they will eat what is unclean. They will not pour libations of wine to Jehovah. Hosea 9:3-4.

'Not dwelling in Jehovah's land' stands for not abiding in the good of love. 'Ephraim will return to Egypt' stands for the Church when its understanding will come to be no more than factual and sensory knowledge. 'In Assyria they will eat what is unclean' stands for impure and profane desires that are the product of reasoning. 'They will not pour libations of wine to Jehovah' stands for no worship based on truth.

[11] In Moses,

It will be said, Where are their gods, the rock in which they trusted, who ate the fat of the sacrifices, [who] drank the wine of their drink-offering? Let them rise up and help them! Deuteronomy 32:37-38.

'Gods' stands for falsities, as above. 'Who ate the fat of the sacrifices' stands for their destruction of the good belonging to worship, '[who] drank the wine of their drink-offering' for their destruction of the truth belonging to it. A reference to 'drink-offerings of blood' also occurs in David,

They will multiply their pains; they have hastened to another, lest I pour out their drink-offerings of blood, and take up their names upon My lips. Psalms 16:4.

By these 'drink-offerings' are meant profanations of truth, for in this case 'blood' means violence done to charity, 374, 1005, and profanation, 1003.