The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
MERIT
(pt. 6)
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
MERIT
(pt. 6)
Because all good and truth are from the Lord, and nothing of them from man, and because good from man is not good, it follows that merit belongs to no man, but to the Lord alone.
The merit of the Lord consists in this, that from His own power He has saved the human race, and also, that He saves those who do good from Him.
Hence it is that in the Word, he is called "just" to whom the merit and justice of the Lord are ascribed, and he is called "unjust" to whom are ascribed his own justice and the merit of self.
(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 155)
• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the Arcana Coelestia, because in the Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained. Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.