Verses 1-2. That when conjunction of good and of truth is effected, it is allowed man to appropriate every good, notwithstanding appearances to the contrary in the representative Church.

Verses 3-5. Since the Lord, by coming into the world, and uniting his Human principle to the Divine, abolished the Sabbath as to representative worship, and made Himself the True Sabbath.

Verses 6-11. And thus restores the truth of the Church to conjunction with its good, from which it had been separated, since this was the great end of his coming into the world, and making his Human principle Divine.

Verse 11. Nevertheless this doctrine excites abhorrence and hatred against Him in the representative Church.

Verse 12. Which abhorrence and hatred become instrumental in leading the Lord's Human principle to a more intimate union with the Divine.

Verse 13. So that by the light derived from this union he is enabled to discriminate all the goods and truths constituent of the Church, and to conjoin them to himself.

Verses 14-17. Which goods and truths are enumerated.

Verses 17-20. Therefore all, who are desirous of spiritual instruction, and to be delivered from false and evil principles, seek communication and conjunction of life with the Lord, and find it.

Verse 20. Being instructed, that all have such communication and conjunction, who from the heart acknowledge that no one knows, understands, and is wise of himself, but from the Lord, since in this acknowledgement there is internal truth and good.

Verse 21. And being further instructed, that, all are gifted with heavenly good, who in heart desire it, and that all are gifted with heavenly truth, who feel the want of it.

Verses 22-23. And that all goods and truths are more closely conjoined with the Lord, and more fully confirmed, in states of opposition from infernal men and infernal spirits, than at any other time, and that this has been the case from the beginning.

Verses 24-25. Yet that truth of itself, without good, separates itself from the Lord, as also does good without truth, and as likewise does the affection of truth, unless the affection of good be in it.

Verse 26. Since the affection of truth may be excited by worldly considerations of fame and glory, as was the case with teachers of old.

Verses 27-28. Whereas the affection of good is kind and well-disposed towards all, doing good to, instructing, and interceding for all.

Verses 27-29. Also being patient, and contented as far as possible, under the assault of evil, whether the assault be against good, or against truth.

Verses 30-31. And imparting both good and truth to all who are in the affection of those principles, content, for the sake of others, to be deprived of its own, and showing kindness to others in the same degree that it expects to receive, kindness from others.

Verses 32-34. Since true charity does not consist in natural affection, but in spiritual, and thence in natural.

Verses 35-36. Good therefore ought to be done without a view to recompense, because it brings along with it its own reward, by restoring in man the Divine image and likeness.

Verses 37-38. So that he will never think ill of what is good and true, but will live in the exercise of charity, from a conviction, that in proportion as he does good to others, he will receive a more abundant measure of the love of good from the Lord.

Verse 39. Neither will he attempt to instruct others, until he himself is instructed in the truth, lest he should lead both himself and others into what is false.

Verses 39-40. But will rather submit himself to the guidance of the Divine Truth.

Verses 41-42. Not looking at the intellectual errors of another, but at the evils which pervert his own understanding, since it is impossible to correct another's intellectual errors, until a man's own understanding be separated from evil, and therefore every one ought first to remove evil from his own love and life, that he may be in a state to remove error from the understanding of another;

Verses 43-44. For the good of love produces good of life, as evil love produces evil of life, therefore every one's quality may be known from his life, since no good, either external or internal, can be derived from falsities and evils.

Verse 45. The true character of every one is thus determined by his will, since if the will be principled in the love of truth, the good of life will be thence derived, whereas if the will be principled in the love of what is false, it will then give birth to evil of life.

Verse 46. That consequently external worship is of no avail, unless it proceed from obedience of life.

Verses 47-48. Which obedience consists in the acknowledgement of the Lord's divine Humanity, and in a right understanding and practice of His precepts, by virtue whereof the true believer acquires a knowledge of the Interior truths of the Word, and conjoins them with the divine truth, and thus is preserved in all states of spiritual temptation.

Verse 49. Whereas he, who is only in the intelligence of truth, and not in the good of love and charity, fails in temptation, and perishes by grievous falsities.

6959. 'And Jehovah said further to him' means foresight of what those who belonged to the spiritual Church were going to be like if they were not in possession of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah said' as foresight, as above in 6946. The reason it means that this future was foreseen - what those who belonged to the spiritual Church would be like if they were not in possession of faith - lies in the words that immediately follow. These deal with members of the spiritual Church, represented by 'the children of Israel', describing what they were going to be like if they did not possess faith, that they would become profaners of truth. For the first miracle in which the rod became a serpent means their state, a state in which they would become wholly sensory- and bodily-minded; the present miracle in which Moses' hand became leprous means profanation since this would come next if that Church continued to be devoid of faith.

[2] In childhood, and after that in adolescence, those who belong to the spiritual Church possess faith in the things taught by their Church. But during those years the faith they possess is obtained from parents and teachers, not by their own efforts. If therefore they subsequently give up that faith they can profane truth only to a small extent, and Divine means can be used to remove that profanation, thereby freeing a person from guilt on account of it. But if a person possesses faith in what the Church teaches and in the Word as a result of his own efforts, that is, he confirms for himself what he has been taught, but after that gives it up and refuses to accept what he has previously believed - and especially if he leads a life that goes against the truth he has confirmed for himself, and either explains it to suit himself or totally rejects it - he renders truth profane. The reason why is that within himself he mixes up and joins together truth and falsity. Because people like this have scarcely any remnants of what is true and good they come at length in the next life to be like skeletons, having as little life left as one's bones possess in comparison with the organic life of the flesh. A more direful lot however awaits those who render good profane than those who render truth profane. Those belonging to the spiritual Church are able to profane truth, but they are less able to do the same thing to good.

[3] Since 'leprosy' means the profanation of truth and is referred to in what follows next, please see first what has been stated and shown already about profanation:

Those within the Church are capable of profaning holy things, but not those outside it, 2051, 3399.

Holy things cannot be profaned except by those who first acknowledge them, 3398.

People who do not know holy things, and also those who do not acknowledge them, cannot profane them, 1008, 1010, 1059, 3398, 4289.

It is also profanation when one acknowledges and believes truths and forms of good and yet leads a life that goes against them, 4601.

A person is withheld as far as is possible from profanation, 301-303, 1327, 1328, 3398, 3402.

The lot awaiting profaners is the worst of all in the next life, 6348.