10122. And a bullock of sin thou shalt offer daily upon the propitiations. That this signifies the continual removal of evils and of the derivative falsities in the natural man by means of the good of innocence from the Lord, is evident from the signification of “a bullock,” as being the good of innocence in the natural man (see n. 9391, 9990); and from the signification of “sin,” as being purification from evils and the derivative falsities; for by “sin” is meant the sacrifice for sin (n. 10039), and by the “sacrifice for sin” is signified purification from evils and falsities (n. 9938, 9990, 10022, 10053). It is said the “removal” of evils and the derivative falsities, for the reason that the evils and falsities pertaining to man are not cast out, but only removed (see the places cited in n. 10057). And from the signification of “daily,” as being continually; and from the signification of “propitiations,” as being the reception of the good of love and of faith from the Lord after the removal of evils and the derivative falsities (n. 9506).

[2] It is said the removal of evils and “the derivative falsities,” because all falsities are from evil, and therefore insofar as evil is removed, so far falsities are removed. The case herein is this. All things in heaven bear relation to good and the derivative truth, whereas all things in hell bear relation to evil and the derivative falsity; hence likewise in man, all things with him which are from heaven bear relation to good and truth, but all things with him which are from hell bear relation to evil and falsity. Or, what is the same, all things with man which are from the Lord bear relation to good and truth, but all things which are from man himself bear relation to evil and falsity. Now as these are the things to which all things in the universe bear relation, and man is a receptacle of them, therefore there are two things with man which receive them, one called the will, and the other the understanding. The will is the receptacle of good or of evil, and the understanding is the receptacle of truth or of falsity. The will which is from the Lord, which is also called the new will, is the receptacle of good; whereas the understanding which is from the Lord, which is also called the new understanding, is the receptacle of truth. But the will which is from man’s own, and is also called the old will, is the receptacle of evil, and the understanding which is from man’s own, and is also called the old understanding, is the receptacle of falsity. Into this understanding and into this will, man is born from his parents; but into the former understanding and into the former will, man is born from the Lord, which is done when he is being regenerated. For when a man is being regenerated, he is conceived and born anew.

[3] Man has been so created that the will and the understanding make a one, so that these two together constitute one man; for the understanding has been given to man that he may understand truth, but to the end that it may be implanted in the will and become good; and insofar as it becomes of the will, so far it is in the man, because the will is the inmost of man, and is the being of his life; but the understanding is exterior and comes forth from the will; for that which a man wills, he loves, and that which he loves, he feels delightful, and therefore calls good; while the understanding favors it and confirms it by reasons, and these he calls truths. Hence the will and the understanding really make a one; but it appears otherwise, as is the case when a man understands what is true, and yet wills what is evil. Nevertheless, when he is left to himself, and is thinking from himself, he understands just as he wills, that is, as he loves.

[4] That a man who wills what is evil can nevertheless speak what is true, and also do what is good, is from hypocrisy, to which truth and good serve as means. If these means are taken away from him, and he is left in freedom, such a man rushes into evils according to the pleasure of the will, and he defends them by his intellectual faculty. This is especially manifest from such persons in the other life, where everyone comes into a state similar to that of his will; and then those who have not a new will from the Lord rush into evils of every kind, and think such things as favor evils, however much in the world they had spoken and acted quite differently. For it is a law of Divine order that the will and the understanding should make one mind, thus one man; consequently that the whole man should be either in heaven or in hell, and should not hang between the two; that is, with the eye look to the things that belong to heaven, and with the heart to those which belong to hell. By the heart is meant the will, and by the eye the understanding.

9938. Which the sons of Israel shall sanctify in respect to all the gifts of their holy things. That this signifies acts of worship representative of removal from sins, is evident from the signification of “gifts” or “offerings,” which among the Israelitish and Jewish nation were chiefly burnt-offerings, sacrifices, and meat-offerings, as being the interior things of worship, for these were what they represented. The interior things of worship are those which are of love and faith, and from this forgivenesses of sins, that is, removals from them, because sins are removed through faith and love from the Lord. For insofar as the good of love and of faith enters, or what is the same thing, so far as heaven enters, so far sins are removed, that is, so far hell is removed, both that which is within man, and that which is without him. From this it is evident what is meant by “the gifts which they sanctified,” that is, offered. The gifts were called “holy,” and presenting or offering them was called “sanctifying” them, because they represented holy things; for they were offered for expiations, thus for removals from sins, which are effected through faith and love to the Lord from the Lord.

[2] They were called “gifts and offerings made to Jehovah,” although Jehovah, that is, the Lord, does not accept any gifts or offerings, but gives to everyone freely. Nevertheless He wills that these things should come from man as from himself, provided he acknowledges that they are not from himself, but from the Lord. For the Lord imparts the affection of doing good from love, and the affection of speaking truth from faith; but the affection itself flows in from the Lord, and it appears as if it were in the man, thus from the man; for whatever a man does from the affection which is of love, he does from his life, because love is the life of everyone. From this it is evident that what are called “gifts and offerings made to the Lord” by man are in their essence gifts and offerings made to man by the Lord; and their being called “gifts and offerings” is from the appearance. All who are wise in heart see this appearance; but not so the simple; and yet the gifts and offerings of the latter are grateful, insofar as they are offered from ignorance in which is innocence. Innocence is the good of love to God, and dwells in ignorance, especially with the wise in heart; for they who are wise in heart know and perceive that there is nothing of wisdom in themselves from themselves; but that everything of wisdom is from the Lord, that is, everything of the good of love, and everything of the truth of faith; thus that even with the wise innocence dwells in ignorance. From this it is evident that the acknowledgment of this fact, and especially the perception of it, is the innocence of wisdom.

[3] The gifts that were offered in the Jewish Church, and which were chiefly burnt-offerings, sacrifices, and meat-offerings, were also called “expiations from sins,” because they were offered for the sake of the forgivenesses of them, that is, removals from them. Those who belonged to that church also believed that their sins were accordingly forgiven; nay, that they were entirely taken away; for it is said that after they had offered these things they would be “forgiven” (see Leviticus 4:26, 31, 35; 5:6, 10, 1 5:13, 16, 18; 9:7, 15, 15:15, 30 (Leviticus 9:18)). But they did not know that these offerings represented interior things, thus such things as are done by man from the love and faith that are from the Lord; and that these are the things which expiate, that is, remove sins, and that after they have been removed they appear as if they were quite removed or taken away, as has been shown above in this and in the preceding articles. For that nation was in representative worship, thus in external worship without internal, by means of which there was at that time a conjunction of heaven with man. (See the places cited in n. 9320, 9380)