10303. And thou shalt bruise of it small. That this signifies the disposing of truths into their series, is evident from the signification of “bruising,” when said of frankincense and spices; by which are signified truths, as being the disposing of truths into their series; for “bruising” has a like signification with “grinding,” but “grinding” is said of wheat, barley, and spelt; and “bruising,” of oil, frankincense, and spices.

[2] What is specifically signified by “bruising” and “grinding” cannot be known unless it is known how the case is with man in respect to the goods and truths which are signified by “wheat,” “barley,” “meal,” “fine flour,” “oil,” “frankincense,” and “spices,” when these goods and truths have been disposed for uses; for “grinding” and “bruising” denote so to dispose them that they may be of use. When “grinding” is said of the goods which are signified by “wheat” or “barley,” then by “grinding” is signified the disposing and bringing forth of good into truths, and in this way its application to uses. Moreover, good never puts itself forth into uses except by means of truths. In these it is disposed, and thus qualified, for unless good has been disposed in truths it has no quality; but when it is disposed in truths, it is then disposed, into series in application to things according to uses, into which things good enters as the affection of love, whence comes what is grateful, pleasant, and delightful. The like is here signified by “bruising small,” for “pure frankincense” denotes spiritual good (n. 10296); and the truths which are disposed by this good are denoted by the spices stacte, onycha, and galbanum (n. 10292-10294).

[3] What is meant by disposing into series shall also be briefly told. Truths are said to be disposed into series when they have been disposed according to the form of heaven, in which form are the angelic societies. What this form is may be seen from the correspondence of all the members, viscera, and organs of man with the Grand Man, which is heaven (concerning which correspondence see a t the places cited in n. 10030). In these members, viscera, and organs, each and all things have been disposed into series and series of series. These are formed by the fibers and vessels, as is known to those who from anatomy are acquainted with the textures and contextures of the interiors of the body. Into like series have been disposed the truths from good with man.

[4] From this it is that a regenerated man is a heaven in the least form corresponding to the greatest; and that a man is wholly his own truth and good. (That a regenerated man is a heaven in the least form, see at the places cited in n. 9279; and that a man is his own truth and good, n. 10298; and that the truths with man have been disposed into series according to the angelic societies with the regenerate, n. 5339, 5343, 5530) The series into which truths have been disposed with the good, and the series into which falsities have been disposed with the evil, are signified in the Word by “sheaves” and “bundles” (asin Leviticus 23:9-15; Psalms 126:6; 129:7; Amos 2:13; Micah 4:12; Jeremiah 9:22; Zech. 12:6; Matthew 13:30).

[5] It therefore being evident what is signified by “bruising,” and “grinding,” it can be known what is signified in the internal sense by the statement that:

The sons of Israel ground the manna in mills, or bruised it in a mortar, and baked it into cakes (Numbers 11:8);

for by the “manna” was signified celestial and spiritual good (n. 8464); and by “grinding” and “bruising,” a disposing that it might serve for use; for whatever is said in the Word is significative of such things as are in heaven and the church, for every detail has an internal sense. It can also be known what is signified by the statement that:

They should not take to pledge the mill or the millstone, for he taketh the soul to pledge (Deuteronomy 24:6);

for by “the mill and the millstone” is signified that which prepares good so that it can be applied to uses; by “barley” also and by “wheat” is signified good, and by “meal” and “fine flour” truths; and as before said, good is applied to use by means of its own truths.

[6] From this it can be seen what is signified by the “mill,” by the “millstone,” and by “sitting at the mills,” in the following passages, in Matthew:

Then shall two be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left (Matthew 24:41).

He that shall cause to stumble one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that an ass millstone were hanged on his neck, and he were sunk into the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42).

A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall Babylon be thrown down, and the voice of the mill shall be heard no more at all in her (Revelation 18:21-22).

I will cause to cease from them the voice of joy, and the voice of the millstones, and the light of the lamp (Jeremiah 25:10).

O daughter of Babylon, sit on the earth; there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans; take the mill and grind meal (Isaiah 47:1-2).

As in a good sense a “mill,” and “grinding,” signify application to good uses, so in the opposite sense they signify application to evil uses; hence when they are said of Babylon and Chaldea, they signify application in favor of their loves, which are the loves of self and of the world; for by the “barley and wheat” with them is signified good adulterated, and by the “meal” thence, truth falsified. The profanation of good and truth by application in favor of these loves is also signified by the statement that:

Moses ground to powder the golden calf, and scattered it upon the waters that came down from Mount Sinai, and made the sons of Israel drink it (Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy 9:21).

10298. And thou shalt make it incense. That this signifies worship from these things, is evident from the signification of “incense,” as being confessions, adorations, prayers, and such things of worship as come forth from the heart into the thought and speech (see n. 9475); for by the “smoke” of incense is signified elevation (n. 10177, 10198); and by “fragrant odor,” grateful perception and reception (see the places cited in n. 10292).

[2] As Divine worship, signified by the “incense of spices,” is here described, and by the spices of which this incense was prepared are signified truths in their order, it shall here be told in a few words how the case is with this worship. But this is a secret which cannot be revealed unless the nature of man is known. Man is not man from his face, nor even from his speech, but from understanding and will; such as are his understanding and his will, such is the man. It is known that when he is born he has nothing of understanding and nothing of will; and also that his understanding and his will are formed by degrees from infancy; from this a man becomes a man, and such a man as are the understanding and the will that have been formed in him. The understanding is formed by means of truths, and the will by means of goods, insomuch that his understanding is nothing else than a composition of such things as bear relation to truths, and his will is nothing else than the affection of such things as are called goods. From this it follows that a man is nothing but the truth and good from which his two faculties have been formed.

[3] Each and all things of his body correspond to these, as can be seen from the fact that the body instantly does that which the understanding thinks and the will wills; for the mouth speaks in accordance with the thoughts, the face changes in accordance with the affections, and the body makes movements in accordance with the commands of both. From this it is evident that a man is wholly such as are his understanding and his will, thus such as he is in respect to truths and in respect to goods; for as before said, truths constitute his understanding, and goods his will; or what is the same, a man is his own truth and his own good.

[4] That this is so appears openly with spirits; these are nothing else than their own truths and their own goods which they had put on when they lived in the world as men; and yet they are human forms. Consequently from their face shines forth the quality of the truths and goods which they have; and this is also perceived from the sound and disposition of their speech, and from their gestures, especially from their spoken words; for their spoken words are not such as are with men in the world, but are in perfect harmony with their truths and goods, so as to proceed from these quite naturally. In this speech are spirits and angels when they are conversing together; and in respect to his spirit, man is in a like speech during his life in this world, although he is then unaware of it; for he thinks from similar ideas, as has also been observed by some learned men who have called these ideas immaterial and intellectual. After death, when the man becomes a spirit, these ideas become words. From all this it is again evident that a man is not anything else than his own truth and his own good. Hence it is that after death a man remains such truth and good as he has become.

[5] It is said “such truth and good as he has become,” and thereby is also meant such falsity and evil as he has become; for evil men call falsity truth and evil good. This is a secret which must by all means be known, in order that it may be known how the case is with Divine worship; but besides this there is one secret more, namely, that in every idea of thought proceeding from a man’s will there is the whole man. This moreover follows from the former, for a man thinks from his truth and wills from his good, which are himself. That this is so can be seen from the following experience. When the angels perceive a single idea of a man, or a single idea of a spirit, they at once know the quality of the man or of the spirit.

[6] These things have been said in order that it may be known how the case is with Divine worship, which is signified by the “incense of spices,” namely, that the whole man is in each and all things of his worship, because his truth and good are there, which are himself. This is the reason why four spices are mentioned, by which are signified all truths in the complex. From all this it also follows that it is the same whether you say that Divine worship consists of these truths and goods, or that man consists of them, because as before said the whole man is in every one of the ideas of his thought, which are of his worship.