Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10414

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10414. 'And offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings' means the worship offered by their own loves, and so by the delights belonging to those loves and by resulting falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'burnt offerings' and 'sacrifices' as all worship in general, dealt with in 6905, 8936, 10042. By 'burnt offerings' worship springing from the good of love is meant, and by 'sacrifices' worship springing from the truths of faith, 8680, 10053, so that in the contrary sense worship springing from a person's own loves - that is, worship springing from the delights which belong to those loves and which are evil - is meant by 'burnt offerings', and worship springing from resulting falsities by 'sacrifices'. The expression 'worship offered by loves' is used because what a person worships is what he loves; and his love is what causes him to worship it.


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