Loving Good and Truth for the Sake of Good and Truth

From Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Loving good and truth for the sake of good and truth is reward,
for the reason that the Lord and heaven are in that love

Do not ye your alms before men; to be seen by them, for otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. When thou doest alms sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men; verily I say to you they have their reward. But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret will reward thee openly. And when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men; verily I say unto you, they have their reward; but when thou prayest enter into thy chamber, and shutting thy door pray to thy Father who is in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Matt. 6:1-6).

"Alms" in the most general sense signifies every good that man wills and does, and "to pray" signifies in the same sense every truth that man thinks and speaks. Those who do these two things "to be seen," that is, that they may be manifest, do good and speak truth for the sake of self and the world, that is, for the sake of glory, which is the delight of self-love that the world affords.  Because delight in glory is the reward of such it is said "they have their reward;" but this delight in glory, which in the world seems to them like heaven, is changed after death into hell.  But those who do good and speak truth, not for the sake of self and the world but for the sake of good itself and truth itself, are meant by those who "do alms in secret," and who "pray in secret," for they act and pray from love or affection, thus from the Lord; this, therefore, is loving good and truth for the sake of good and truth; and of such it is said that "the Father in the heavens will reward them openly."  Thus "reward" is to be in goods and truths from love or affection, which is the same as being in them from the Lord, since in these is heaven and every blessedness and happiness of heaven.
In Luke:

When thou makest a dinner or a supper call not the rich, lest haply they should call thee in turn; and a recompense be made to thee; but call the poor; then shalt thou be blessed, for they have not wherewith to recompense thee; for it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the dead (Luke 14:12-14).

"To make a dinner and a supper and to call to them" has a similar signification as giving to eat and drink, or bread and wine, namely, doing good to the neighbor, and teaching truth, and being thus consociated in love; so those who do this for the purpose of being recompensed do it not for the sake of good and truth, thus not from the Lord, but for the sake of self and the world, thus from hell; while those who do this not for the purpose of being recompensed, do it for its own sake, that is, for the sake of good and truth, and those who do it for the sake of good and truth do it from good and truth, thus from the Lord, from whom are good and truth with man.  The heavenly blessedness that is in such deeds and thence from them is "reward" and is meant by "it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the dead."
In the same:

Rather love your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again; then shall your reward be much, and ye shall be sons of the Most High (Luke 6:35).

This has a similar signification as the previous passage, namely, that good is not to be done for the sake of recompense, that is, for the sake of self and the world, thus not for the sake of reputation, glory, honor, and gain, but for the Lord's sake, that is, for the sake of good itself and truth itself which are with such from the Lord, thus in which the Lord is.  "To love enemies and do good to them" means here, in the nearest sense, to love the Gentiles and do good to them, which is to be done by teaching them truth and leading them by it to good; for the Jewish nation called their own people brethren and friends, but the Gentiles they called adversaries and enemies.  "To lend" signifies to communicate goods and truths of doctrine from the Word; "to hope for nothing again" signifies, not for the sake of anything of self and of the world, but for the sake of good and truth; "then shall your reward be much" signifies that then they shall have heaven with its blessedness and delights; "and ye shall be sons of the Most High" signifies because they do these things not from self but from the Lord; for he who does good and teaches truth from the Lord is the Lord's son, but not he who does good from self, which is what everyone does who looks to honor and gain as his end.
In Matthew:

He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple, he shall not lose his reward (Matt. 10:41, 42).

How these words of the Lord are to be understood no one can see except from their internal or spiritual sense; for who can know what is meant by "receiving a prophet's reward" and "a righteous man's reward," and by "receiving a prophet and a righteous man in the name of a prophet and a righteous man;" also what is meant by the "reward" that he will receive who "shall give to drink unto one of the little ones a cup of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple"?  Without the internal spiritual sense, who can see that these words mean that everyone shall receive heaven and its joy in the measure of his affection of truth and good, and in the measure of his obedience?

This meaning becomes evident when it is seen that "prophet" means the truth of doctrine, "righteous man" the good of love, and "disciple" the truth and good of the Word and of the church, and that "in their name" means for the sake of these, and according to their quality with those who do and teach them; also that "reward" means heaven, as has been said above, namely, that everyone has heaven in the measure of his affection of truth and good, and according to its quality and quantity; for on these affections all things of heaven are inscribed, since no one can have these affections except from the Lord, for it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord in which and from which is heaven.

"To give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple" means to do good and teach truth from obedience, for "water" signifies the truth in affection, and "cold [water]" truth in obedience, for obedience alone is a natural, not a spiritual, affection, and is therefore comparatively cold; and a "disciple" in whose name or for whose sake it is "given to drink" signifies the truth and good of the Word and of the church....
In Mark:

Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward (Mark 9:41).

This also means that those shall receive the delight of heaven who from affection hear, receive, and teach the truth because truth and the affection of it are from the Lord, thus for the Lord's sake, and accordingly for the truth's sake, since "because ye are Christ's" signifies for the sake of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord.

(Apocalypse Explained 695:5-11)

Evils Cannot Be Removed Except They Appear

Excerpt from Divine Providence ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Evils cannot be removed unless they appear. This does not mean that man must do evils in order that they may appear, but that he must examine himself, - not his deeds alone but also his thoughts, and what he would do if he did not fear the laws and disrepute, especially what evils he regards in his spirit as allowable and does not account as sins; for these he still does.

It is to enable man to examine himself that an understanding has been given him, and this is separated from the will to the end that he may know, understand, and acknowledge what is good and what is evil, also that he may see what his will is, that is, what he loves and what he longs for.  In order that man may see this, there has been given to his understanding higher and lower thought, or interior and exterior thought, to enable him to see from the higher or interior thought what the will is doing in the lower and exterior thought; this he sees as a man sees his face in a mirror; and when he sees it and knows what sin is, he is able, if he implores the Lord's help, to cease willing it, to shun it, and afterwards to act against it, if not freely, still to coerce it by combat, and finally to turn away from it and hate it; and then, and not before, he perceives and also feels that evil is evil and that good is good. This, then, is examining one's self, seeing one's evils, acknowledging them, and afterwards refraining from them.

... there are few who know that this is the Christian religion itself (because such only have charity and faith, and they alone are led by the Lord and do good from Him)....

(Divine Providence 278a)

Doing the Work of Repentance

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

THE DOCTRINE OF CHARITY.

He who wishes to be saved must confess his sins and do repentance.

To confess sins is to become thoroughly acquainted with evils, to see them in oneself, to acknowledge them, to regard oneself as guilty, and to condemn oneself on account of them. When this is done before God, it is to confess sins.

To do repentance is after one has thus confessed his sins and from a humble heart has made supplication for their forgiveness, to desist from them and to lead a new life according to the commands of faith.

He who merely acknowledges that he is a sinner like all others, and who regards himself as guilty of all evils, and does not examine himself - that is, see his sins - does indeed make confession, but not the confession of repentance, for he lives afterward as he had done before.

He who leads a life of faith does repentance daily; for he reflects upon the evils that are in him, acknowledges them, guards himself against them, and supplicates the Lord for aid. For from himself man is continually falling, but is continually being raised up by the Lord. He falls from himself when he thinks what is evil with desire; and he is raised up by the Lord when he resists evil, and consequently does not do it. Such is the state with all who are in good; but they who are in evil are continually falling, and also are continually being uplifted by the Lord; but this to prevent them from falling into the most grievous hell of all, whither from themselves they incline with all their might: thus in truth uplifting them into a milder hell.

The repentance that is done in a state of freedom avails; but that which is done in a state of compulsion avails not. A state of compulsion is a state of sickness, a state of dejection of mind from misfortune, a state of imminent death; in a word, every state of fear which takes away the use of sound reason. When an evil man who in a state of compulsion promises repentance and also does what is good, comes into a state of freedom, he returns into his former life of evil. The case is otherwise with a good man, such states being to him states of temptation in which he conquers.

Repentance of the mouth and not of the life is not repentance. Sins are not forgiven through repentance of the mouth, but through repentance of the life. Sins are continually being forgiven man by the Lord, for He is mercy itself; but sins adhere to the man, however much he may suppose that they have been forgiven, nor are they removed from him except through a life according to the commands of faith. So far as he lives according to these commands, so far his sins are removed; and so far as they are removed, so far they have been forgiven. For by the Lord man is withheld from evil, and is held in good; and he is so far able to be withheld from evil in the other life, as in the life of the body he has resisted evil; and he is so far able to be held in good then, as in the life of the body he has done what is good from affection. This shows what the forgiveness of sins is, and whence it is. He who believes that sins are forgiven in any other way, is much mistaken.

After a man has examined himself, and has acknowledged his sins, and has done repentance, he must remain constant in good up to the end of life. If however he afterward falls back into his former life of evil, and embraces it, he commits profanation, for he then conjoins evil with good, and consequently his latter state becomes worse than his former one, according to the Lord's words:

When the unclean spirit goeth out of a man he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, but findeth none; then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, and findeth it empty, and swept, and garnished for him, then goeth he, and joineth to himself seven other spirits worse than himself, and having entered in they dwell there; and the last things of the man become worse than the first (Matt. 12:43-45).

(Arcana Coelestia 8387 - 8394)

Action and Reaction in Understanding the Word

From Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

It is granted by the Lord to every man to perceive [to perceive from the Lord of what quality the Word], but yet no one does perceive it unless he wishes as of himself to perceive it. This ability to reciprocate, man must have in order to receive the faculty to perceive the Word; unless a man wishes and does this as of himself no such faculty can be appropriated to him; since, in order that appropriation may be effected, there must be an active and a reactive; the active is from the Lord, so is the reactive, but the latter appears to be from man; for the Lord Himself gives this reactive, and thence it is from the Lord and not from man; but as man does not know otherwise than that he lives from himself, and consequently that he thinks and wills from himself, so he must needs do this as if it were from what is proper to his own life; and when he so acts, it is then first implanted in him, and conjoined and appropriated to him.

He who believes that Divine verities (truths) and goodnesses flow into man apart from such an ability to react or reciprocate, is much deceived, for this would be to let the hands hang down, and to wait for immediate influx; as those think who wholly separate faith from charity, and who say that the goods of charity, which are the goods of life, flow in without any cooperation of man's will, when yet the Lord teaches that He continually stands at the door and knocks, and that man must open the door, and that He enters in to him who opens (Rev. 3:20).

In brief, action and reaction constitute all conjunction, and in action and mere passiveness there is no conjunction; for when the agent or active flows into the mere patient or passive, it passes through and is dissipated, for the passive yields and retires; but when the agent or active flows into a passive that is also a reactive, then they join together and the two remain conjoined. Thus it is with the influx of Divine good and Divine truth into man's will or love; for this reason when the Divine flows into the understanding alone it passes through and is dissipated, but when it flows into the will, where what is man's own (proprium) resides, it remains conjoined.

(Apocalypse Explained 616)

A Sensual Man

From Heaven and Hell ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The sensual is the outmost of man's life adhering to and inhering in his bodily part.  He is called a sensual man who judges all things and draws all his conclusions from the bodily senses, and believes nothing except what he sees with his eyes and touches with his hands.  Such a man thinks in externals, and not interiorly in himself.  His interiors are so closed up that he sees nothing of spiritual truth in them.  In a word, he is in gross natural light and thus perceives nothing that is from the light of heaven.  Interiorly he is antagonistic to the things of heaven and the church.  The learned who have confirmed themselves against the truths of the church come to be such.  Sensual men are more cunning and malicious than others.  They reason keenly and cunningly, but from the bodily memory, in which they place all intelligence.  But they reason from the fallacies of the senses.

(Heaven and Hell 267 notes)

When Good Becomes Good

From Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Spiritual food is in general all good, but specifically it is the good which is acquired by means of truth, that is, truth in the will and in act, for this good becomes good from the willing and doing, and is called the good of truth.

Unless truth thus becomes good, it does not benefit the man in the other life; for when he comes into the other life it is dissipated, because it does not agree with his will, thus not with the delight of his love.

He who has learned truths of faith in the world, not for the sake of willing and doing them and thus turning them into goods, but only that he may know and teach them for the sake of honor and gain, even although he may in the world be considered most learned, yet in the other life he is deprived of the truths and is left to his own will, that is, his life. And he then remains as he had been in his life; and wonderful to say he is then averse to all the truths of faith: and denies them to himself, howsoever he had before confirmed them.

To turn truths to goods by willing and doing them, that is, by life, is what is meant by appropriating the good of truth...

(Arcana Coelestia 5820)

The Working of the Angels into the Truths of Faith with Man

From Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

There must be truths in the natural mind in order that good may work, and the truths must be introduced by means of the affection which is of genuine love. All things whatever that are in man's memory have been introduced by means of some love, and remain there conjoined with it. So also it is with the truths of faith - if these truths have been introduced by means of the love of truth, they remain conjoined with this love. When they have been conjoined, then the case is as follows.

If the affection is reproduced, the truths which are conjoined with it come forth at the same time; and if the truths are reproduced, the affection itself with which they have been conjoined comes forth at the same time. Wherefore during man's regeneration (which is effected in adult age, because previously he does not think from himself about the truths of faith) he is ruled by means of angels from the Lord, by being kept in the truths which he has impressed upon himself to be truths, and by means of these truths in the affection with which they have been conjoined; and as this affection, namely, of truth, is from good, he is thus led by degrees to good.

That this is so is evident to me from much experience, for I have noticed that when evil spirits have injected evils and falsities, then angels from the Lord kept me in the truths which had been implanted, and thus withheld me from evils and falsities.

From this also it was plain that the truths of faith, which have been inrooted by means of the affection of truth, are the plane into which angels work. Wherefore they who have not this plane cannot be led by angels, but suffer themselves to be led by hell, for the working of the angels cannot then be fixed anywhere, but flows through. But this plane cannot be acquired unless the truths of faith have been put into act, and thus implanted in the will, and through the will in the life.

It is also worthy of mention that the working of the angels into the truths of faith with man seldom takes place manifestly, that is, so as to excite thought about this truth; but there is produced a general idea of such things as are in agreement with this truth, together with affection. For this working is effected by means of an imperceptible influx, which when presented to the sight appears like an inflowing light, which light consists of innumerable truths in good, which encompass some single thing in the man, and keep him while in truth also in the love of this truth. Thus the angels elevate the mind of the man from falsities, and protect him from evils.

(Arcana Coelestia 5893)