Faith (pt. 35)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Continued pt. 35)

VIII. CHARITY AND FAITH ARE TOGETHER IN GOOD WORKS.

In every work that proceeds from man there is the whole man such as he is in his disposition or essentially. By disposition his love's affection and thought therefrom is meant; these form his nature, and in general his life. If we look at works in this way, they are like mirrors of man. This may be illustrated by like things in brutes and wild beasts.

A brute is a brute, and a wild beast is a wild beast, in all their actions. In everything pertaining to it a wolf is a wolf, a tiger is a tiger, a fox is a fox, and a lion is a lion; the same is true of a sheep and a kid. 

It is the same with a man; but man is such as he is in his internal man. If in this he is like a wolf or a fox, then everything he does is inwardly wolfish and fox-like, and the reverse if he is like a lamb or a kid. 

But that such is the man everything he does is not evident in his external man, because the external takes on various forms round about the internal; nevertheless in the internal the quality lies inwardly hidden.

The Lord says:

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil (Luke 6:46).

And again:

Each tree is known by its own fruit; of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes (Luke 6:44).

That in each and all things that go forth from him man is such as he is in his internal man, he makes clear in himself after death to the very life, since he then lives an internal and no longer an external man. It will be shown in the following order how, when the Lord, charity and faith reside in man's internal, there is good in him and that every work that goes forth from him is good.

(1) Charity is willing well and good works are doing well from willing well.
(2) Charity and faith are only mental and perishable things unless they are determined to works and coexist in them when possible.
(3) Good works are not produced by charity alone, still less by faith alone, but by charity and faith together.

But on these points separately.

(True Christian Religion 373)

To be continued...