10295. '[These] sweet ones' means affections springing from spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of 'sweet-smelling spices' as affections for truth springing from good, dealt with above in 10291. As regards their springing from spiritual good, see 10254, 10290, 10293(end). The reason why the incense was made from the spices that mean kinds of truth springing from spiritual good, or what amounts to the same thing, why the kinds of truth that are meant by those spices belong to the spiritual group, is that the worship of God accomplished by means of truths springing from that good is meant by 'incense'. For acts of thanksgiving, adoration, prayer, and the like are what are meant specifically by 'incense', see 9475. Such acts of worship are emanations from the heart expressed through thoughts and speech. The fact that spiritual truths are the means by which such worship is accomplished may be recognized from the ideas a person has in mind while engaged in that worship. For the person's ideas then pass from his memory into his understanding and come forth from there; and anything emanating from there is called spiritual. As regards the worship of God springing from celestial good, such as takes place among those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, this is not accomplished by means of acts of thanksgiving, adoration, and prayer, as is the worship among those who are in the spiritual kingdom, thus not by truths coming from the memory but by truths coming from the heart, which act as one with the actual love that governs those people. For the truths that exist with them have been inscribed on their love, and therefore when moved by love to do what is commanded they are at the same time moved to do so by truths, without any thought about them based on what they have been taught, thus without any recollection of them from their memory. The fact that the state of those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom is such as this may be recognized from what has been shown regarding that kingdom and the spiritual kingdom in the places referred to in 9277. As regards 'incense', that it means acts of thanksgiving, adoration, and prayer, which emanate from the thoughts of the heart through the mouth, see 9475, 10177, 10198.

1023. That 'and I, behold I am establishing My covenant' means the Lord's presence in charity becomes clear from the meaning of 'a covenant', dealt with in 666, where it was shown that 'a covenant' means regeneration, and in particular the conjunction of the Lord with a regenerate person by means of love. It was also shown there that the heavenly marriage is the actual covenant itself, and that consequently the heavenly marriage exists with every regenerate person. The nature of this marriage or covenant has also been shown already.

[2] The heavenly marriage with the member of the Most Ancient Church existed in the area of his own will, but the heavenly marriage with the member of the Ancient Church came into existence in the area of his own understanding. Actually when the will part of man's mind had become utterly corrupted, the Lord in miraculous fashion separated the area of his own understanding from that corrupted will part, and within the area of man's own understanding He formed a new will, which is conscience. Into conscience He infused charity, and into charity innocence, and in this manner joined Himself to man, or what amounts to the same, established a covenant with him.

[3] To the extent that the area of a person's own will can be separated from this understanding part the Lord is able to be present with him, that is, to join Himself or establish a covenant with him. Temptations and similar means of regeneration render inactive the area of a person's own will, so that it is reduced to nothing and so to speak dies. To the extent that this happens the Lord can operate within charity by means of conscience implanted in the area of a person's own understanding. This is what is called 'a covenant' here.