Verses 1-3. The worship of the Lord from the highest degree of celestial love is described.

Verse 4. Then follows a description of worship from interior celestial love, or charity to the neighbour, showing how it is connected with that from the highest celestial good, which is pure love to the Lord, and the lowest

Verses 5-6. A similar description of worship from celestial good in the Internal of the Natural succeeds, accompanied by an account of the arrangement of truths there, and of the influx of inmost celestial good.

Verse 7. And lastly, worship from the External of the Natural is described, showing that it is similar to worship from higher loves, but is in a lower degree

Verses 8-10. It is then shown that celestial worship in all these degrees and ways involves certain particulars, namely: the power to worship must be ascribed to the Lord; it must be acknowledged to be from celestial good inmostly derived from Him; and it must be exercised from Him. Also the worshiper will realize the conjunction of truth with good as from himself; he will be able to devote his life to the service of the Lord; he will experience a state of heavenly joy and peace; he will be able to appropriate good and truth; and he will worship the Lord from pure love

Verses 11-13. Again this worship of the Lord must be free from falsity; it must not be vitiated by merely natural delight; such imperfect worship only appertains to preparatory states; and in all worship there must be the mutual desire of truth for good and of good for truth, or in other words, every one who really loves the truth will desire also to be good, and all who sincerely desire to be good will also long for the truth

Verses 14-16. And also, during such worship, in preparatory states, it will be from natural good, and truth influenced by celestial good, and involving the sincere acknowledgement of the Lord.

340. That 'she said, I have gained a man, Jehovah' means that with those called Cain faith was known and acknowledged as something existing by itself is clear from what has been stated in the preliminary sections of this chapter. ¹ Previously they had not so to speak known what faith was, for what they possessed was a perception of everything that constituted faith. But once they started to make distinct and separate doctrine out of faith they drew on things which had been with them matters of perception and reduced them to doctrine. This doctrine they called 'I have gained a man, Jehovah', as though they had come upon something new. So that which had previously been written on the heart was now made into factual knowledge. In early times people used to find a name for anything that was new, and used to attach explanations as to what such names embodied. For example, to indicate what Ishmael meant, the explanation was added, Jehovah hearkened to her affliction', Genesis 16:11; what Reuben meant, 'Jehovah has seen my affliction', Genesis 29:32; what Simeon meant, 'Jehovah heard that she was less loved', ibid. Verse 33; and what Judah meant, 'This time I will confess Jehovah', ibid. Verse 35. The altar built by Moses was called 'Jehovah is my banner', Exodus 17:15. And here likewise doctrine concerning faith is called 'I have gained a man, Jehovah', which is what Cain meant.

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