777. 18:13 "And cinnamon, fragrances, ointment and frankincense." This symbolically means that these Roman Catholics no longer have any worship that springs from spiritual goods and truths, because they have nothing inwardly in their worship that corresponds to the aforesaid things.

The preceding verse had as it subject everything having to do with the church's doctrine. Now this verse has as its subject everything having to do with the church's worship.

Things having to do with doctrine are put first, and things having to do with worship follow, since worship has its character from the goods and truths of doctrine. For the church's worship is nothing but an outward act whose internal elements ought to be those of doctrine. Without them the worship is lacking its essence, life and soul.

Now because everything having to do with doctrine has relation to goods that are matters of love and charity and to truths that are matters of wisdom and faith, and these goods and truths are celestial, spiritual, or natural, according to the degrees of their succession, so too are all the ingredients of worship. Moreover, because the preceding verse mentions spiritual things having to do with doctrine first, so this verse mentions spiritual things having to do with worship first, namely cinnamon, fragrances, ointment and frankincense, and secondly then celestial things having to do with worship, namely wine, oil, flour and wheat, and thirdly natural things having to do with worship, namely cattle and sheep. That all these goods and truths having to do with worship must come from the Word is symbolized by their being merchandise of horses and wagons and the bodies and souls of people. This is the sequence of subjects in the spiritual sense of this verse.

All the valuables listed in this verse have the same meaning as the valuables listed in the preceding verse, namely, that these goods and truths are lacking in these Roman Catholics, because they do not have in them the goods and truths that correspond to the things listed. This is apparent from preceding verses, where we are told that the city Babylon will be burned with fire and that no one will buy her merchandise anymore (verses 8-11). It is apparent also from verses that follow, where we are told that all things rich and splendid have gone from her and shall be found no more (verse 14), and that they were destroyed (verses 16, 19).

[2] Now, however, we must say something about the valuables listed here, namely cinnamon, fragrances, ointment and frankincense. These are specified because they are the ingredients used in making incense. Incense symbolizes a worship of the Lord that springs from spiritual goods and truths, as may be seen in nos. 277, 392 above. And incense offerings were pleasing because they consisted of fragrant ingredients that corresponded to those goods and truths, as may be seen in no. 394.

All the fragrant ingredients used in the preparation of incense are meant by cinnamon, fragrances, and ointment, and their base by frankincense. This is apparent from the list in Exodus of the aromatic ingredients of which it was made:

Jehovah said to Moses: "Take sweet spices - stacte, onycha and galbanum - ...and pure frankincense... And you shall make of these a fragrance, an ointment the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. (Exodus 30:34-37)

They used these ingredients to make incense, which, as we said, symbolized a worship springing from spiritual goods and truths. Cinnamon is substituted here for all the fragrant ingredients listed there.

What each of these aromatic ingredients symbolizes in the spiritual sense may be seen in Arcana Coelestia (The Secrets of Heaven), in the treatment of Exodus where they are explained one by one.

774. "Every kind of thyine wood, ¹ every kind of ivory vessel." This symbolically means that these Roman Catholics no longer have these because they do not have any of the natural goods and truths to which such things correspond.

This statement is similar to the ones explained in nos. 772 and 773 above, the only difference being that the valuables named first mean spiritual goods and truths (as explained in no. 772 above), and that those named second mean celestial goods and truths (as explained just above in no. 773), while those named now - thyine wood and ivory vessel - mean natural goods and truths.

[2] To explain: There are three degrees of wisdom and love, and so three degrees of truth and goodness. We call the first degree celestial, the second spiritual, and the third natural. These three degrees are present from birth in every person, and they are present in general also in heaven and in the church. Because of this there are three heavens, a highest one, an intermediate one, and a lowest one, altogether distinct from each other in accordance with these degrees. The same is true of the Lord's church on earth. But this is not the place to explain the nature of the church with people in the celestial degree, with people in the spiritual degree, and with people in the natural degree. See instead what we said about them in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, Part Three, where we dealt with degrees. Here we will say only that in the case of people coming from Babylon, they have no spiritual goods and truths, no celestial goods and truths, and not even any natural goods and truths.

Spiritual goods and truths are mentioned first, because many of those coming from Babylon can be spiritual, provided they hold the Word holy at heart, as they do with the mouth. But they cannot become celestial, because they do not turn to the Lord, but turn to people living and dead and worship them. It is for this reason that celestial goods and truths are mentioned second.

[3] Thyine wood symbolizes natural good because wood in the Word symbolizes goodness, and stone truth, and thyine wood derives its name from a word meaning two, and the number two also symbolizes goodness.

The good symbolized is natural good, because wood is not a valuable material like gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet. The same is true of stone. The case is similar with ivory, which symbolizes natural truth. Ivory symbolizes natural truth because it is white and can be polished, and because it protrudes from the mouth of an elephant and also constitutes its might. In order for ivory to symbolize the natural truth of the goodness symbolized by thyine wood, the text specifies a vessel of ivory, as a vessel symbolizes something that contains, here truth that contains good.

[4] That wood symbolizes goodness can be seen to some extent from the following considerations: That the bitter waters at Marah were made sweet by casting in something wooden (Exodus 15:25). That the tables of stone on which the Law was written were placed in an ark made of acacia wood (Exodus 25:10-16). That the Temple in Jerusalem was roofed with wood and paneled inside with wood (1 Kings 6:9, 15). And that the altar in the wilderness was made of wood (Exodus 27:1, 6).

It can be seen to some extent also from the following:

...the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the wood answers it. (Habakkuk 2:11)

They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise..., and they will cast your stones and your timber... into the midst of the sea. (Ezekiel 26:12)

The prophet Ezekiel was told to take a piece of wood and write on it the names of Judah and the children of Israel, and also on another piece of wood the names of Joseph and Ephraim; and that the Lord Jehovih would make them into one piece of wood (Ezekiel 37:16, 19).

We drink our water in exchange for silver, and our wood comes at a price. (Lamentations 5:4)

If someone goes with his neighbor into a forest..., and the ax head (falls) from the wooden handle...(onto) his neighbor so that he dies, he shall flee to (a city of refuge). (Deuteronomy 19:5)

The latter is said because wood symbolizes goodness, and so because the person did not kill his neighbor out of evil or with evil intention, therefore, but by accident, being impelled by good. And so on elsewhere.

[5] In an opposite sense, however, wood symbolizes something evil or cursed. So for example, they made graven images out of wood and worshiped them (Deuteronomy 4:23-28; Isaiah 37:19; 40:20; Jeremiah 10:3, 8; Ezekiel 20:32). Also, being hanged from a tree was a curse (Deuteronomy 21:22-23).

That ivory symbolizes natural truth can be seen moreover from passages which mention ivory, such as Ezekiel 27:6, 15; Amos 3:15; 6:4; Psalms 45:8.

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