The rod of Levi, upon which the name Aaron was written, was the fruitful, and, therefore, the chosen one. Levi is a name signifying conjunction, and spiritually denotes love and mercy, thence charity and faith united, and consequently union with the Lord. The fruits of this miraculously budding rod were almonds; and hence the almond tree is mentioned in Scripture to denote the perception of interior truth: blossoms or flowers are such truths in their expansive and developed beauties, while fruits or almonds are all the outward works of charity and love. In this sense, the "rod of an almond tree" is mentioned in Jer. i. 11. It is the budding of the rod, the expansion of its blossoms, and its yielding fruit, that will determine the Divine choice. The great question we ought faithfully to ask ourselves is. Do our rods blossom? if so, we are among the chosen of the Lord. The Divine truth is powerful, and if used faithfully, will accomplish everything for us. This truth, with its power, is every man's rod or staff: bring it then to the ark of the testimony, square it by the Divine commandments of God, and if it has been applied to the noble purposes of a holy and righteous life, the rod will be fat and flourishing. Not only the buds and the blossoms, but the fruits here called almonds, by which are meant the principles of charity and goodness in the outward life, will manifestly appear. The gradual and progressive work of regeneration is beautifully described by the rod, with its buds, blossoms, and fruits: the buds are the first conceptions of truth in the mind; the blossoms are the expansion of those conceptions into intelligence and wisdom; and the fruits are the pure affections of the celestial life. The
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