July 31, 2020

A Furnace of Smoke and A Torch of Fire

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg 
A parallelism and correspondence in respect to celestial things — that one part being placed opposite the other signified the church and the Lord — that the intermediate space or interspace signified that which comes in between the Lord and the church, or between the Lord and the man of the church, which is conscience, in which goods and truths have been implanted by means of charity. When hatreds succeed in place of charity, and evils and falsities in place of goods and truths, there is then no conscience of what is good and true; but this middle space or interspace appears to be filled with a furnace of smoke and with torches of fire, that is, with persuasions of falsity and with hatreds, which are what altogether separate the Lord from the church. (AC 1862)

That "a furnace of smoke" signifies the densest falsity, and "a torch of fire" the burning heat of cupidities, is evident from the signification of "a furnace of smoke" as being dense falsity, and from the signification of "a torch of fire" as being the burning heat of cupidities. It is said "a furnace of smoke," because a man, especially a man of the church, who has a knowledge of the truth and still does not acknowledge, but in heart denies it, and indeed passes his life in things contrary to the truth, appears no otherwise than as a furnace of smoke - himself as the furnace, and the falsity from his hatreds as the smoke. The cupidities from which are the falsities appear as torches of fire from such a furnace, as is evident also from the representatives in the other life. It is cupidities of hatred, revenge, cruelties, adulteries - and still more when these are mingled with deceits - that appear and become such things. That by a "furnace," "smoke," and "fire" such things are signified in the Word may be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
Everyone is a hypocrite and a wicked one, and every mouth speaketh folly. For wickedness burneth as the fire, it devoureth the briars and thorns, and kindleth in the thickets of the forest, and they mount up as the rising of smoke. In the wrath of Jehovah Zebaoth is the land darkened, and the people is become like food for fire; a man shall not spare his brother (Isa. 9:17-19).
Here "fire" denotes hatreds and "the rising of smoke" from it such falsities; hatred is described by "no man sparing his brother;" for when such men are looked upon by the angels they appear no otherwise than as here described. In Joel:
I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come (Joel 2:30-31).
Here "fire" denotes hatred; "pillars of smoke" falsities; "the sun" charity; and "the moon" faith. In Isaiah:
The land shall become burning pitch; it shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up to eternity (Isa. 34:9-10).
"Burning pitch" denotes direful cupidities; and "smoke" falsities. In Malachi:
Behold the day cometh burning as a furnace, and all the proud and everyone that worketh wickedness shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall set them on fire, it shall leave them neither root nor branch (Mal. 4:1).
A "burning furnace" here denotes the same as before; the "root" denotes charity; the "branch" truth, which shall not be left. In Hosea:
Ephraim became guilty in Baal, he shall be as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing-floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney (Hos. 13:1, 3).
"Ephraim" denotes an intelligent man who becomes such. In Isaiah:
The strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them (Isa. 1:31);
meaning those who are in the love of self, or what is the same, in hatred against the neighbor, in that they shall be thus kindled by their own cupidities. In John:
Babylon is become a habitation of demons. They cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning. Her smoke goeth up forever and ever (Rev. 18:2, 18; 19:3).
In the same:
He opened the pit of the abyss, and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened, and the air, from the smoke of the pit (Rev. 9:2).
In the same:
Out of the mouths of the horses went forth fire and smoke and brimstone. By these was the third part of men killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, that went forth out of their mouth (Rev. 9:17-18).
In the same:
He that worshipeth the beast shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, poured out unmixed in the cup of His anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (Rev. 14:9-10).
In the same:
The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire; and men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God (Rev. 16:8-9).
In like manner it is said that They were cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Rev. 19:20; 20:14-15; 21:8)
In these passages "fire" denotes the cupidities, and "smoke" the falsities that will reign in the last times. These things were seen by John when his interior sight was opened, just as they appear in the other life. Similar things are also seen by spirits, and by souls after death. Hence it may be seen what hell fire is, that it is nothing but hatred, revenge, and cruelty, or what is the same, the love of self; for such do these become. During his life in the body, any man of such a quality, however he might appear outwardly, if inspected closely by the angels would appear no otherwise in their eyes, that is, his hatreds would appear as torches of fire, and the falsities derived from them as furnaces of smoke. Concerning this fire the Lord thus speaks in Matthew:
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire (Matt. 3:10; Luke 3:9);
by "good fruit" is meant charity: he who deprives himself of this cuts himself down, and casts himself into such fire. Again:
The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire (Matt. 13:41-42, 50),
with a like meaning. And again:
The king saith unto those on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).
That they should be "sent into the eternal fire," "the Gehenna of fire," and that "their worm should not die, and their fire should not be quenched" (Matt. 18:8-9; Mark 9:43-49), have a like meaning. In Luke:
Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame (Luke 16:24),
with a like meaning. They who are not acquainted with the arcana of the Lord's kingdom suppose that the Lord casts the wicked into hell, or into such fire, which, as before said, is that of hatreds; but the case is very different, for it is the man himself, or the diabolical spirit himself, who casts himself down. But because it so appears it has been expressed in the Word according to the appearance, and indeed according to the fallacies of the senses; and especially was this necessary in the case of the Jews, who were unwilling to accept anything at all unless it were in accordance with the senses, whatever might be the fallacies thus involved. On this account the sense of the letter, especially in the prophecies, is full of such things. As in Jeremiah:
Thus said Jehovah, Judge judgment in the morning, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury go forth like fire, and burn, and there be none to quench it, because of the wickedness of their works (Jer. 21:12).
To "judge judgment" is to speak truth; to "deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor," is to do the good of charity; "fire" denotes the infernal punishment of those who do not do these things, that is, who pass their lives in the falsity of hatred. In the sense of the letter such "fire" and "fury" are attributed to Jehovah, but in the internal sense it is quite the contrary. In like manner in Joel:
The day of Jehovah: a fire devoureth before Him, and behind Him a flame burneth (Joel 2:1, 3).
In David:
There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured, coals did burn from Him, and thick darkness was under His feet (Ps. 18:8-9).
In Moses:
A fire is kindled in Mine anger, and it shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall devour the earth and her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains (Deut. 32:22),
where "fire" denotes the hatreds, and "smoke" the falsities which are in men, which are attributed to Jehovah or the Lord for the reasons that have been given. In the hells also the appearance is that Jehovah or the Lord does this, but it is quite the contrary; they do it to themselves, because they are in the fires of hatred. Hence it is manifest how easily a man may fall into phantasies if the internal sense of the Word is not known. It was similar with the "smoke" and "fire" that were seen by the people on Mount Sinai when the law was promulgated. For Jehovah, or the Lord, appears to everyone according to his quality - to celestial angels as a Sun, to spiritual angels as a Moon, to all the good as a Light of varied delight and pleasantness, but to the evil as a smoke and as a consuming fire. And as when the Law was promulgated, the Jews had nothing of charity, but the love of self and of the world prevailed in them, and thus nothing but evils and falsities, He therefore appeared to them as a smoke and fire, when at the same instant He appeared to the angels as the Sun and Light of heaven. That He so appeared to the Jews because they were of such a character, is evident in Moses:
The glory of Jehovah abode upon Mount Sinai, and the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mount, in the eyes of the sons of Israel (Exod. 24:16-17).
Again:
And Mount Sinai was all of it smoking, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly (Exod. 19:18).
And elsewhere:
Ye came near and stood under the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire, even to the heart of heaven; darkness, cloud, and thick darkness and Jehovah spake unto you out of the midst of the fire (Deut. 4:11-12; 5:22).
Also:
It came to pass when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, and ye said, Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of Jehovah our God any more, then we shall die (Deut. 5:23-25).
Just so would it be with anyone else who should see the Lord, and who has passed his life in hatred and in the foul things of hatreds, for he could see Him no otherwise than from his hatred and its foulnesses, these being the recipients of the rays of good and truth from the Lord, and they would turn these rays into such fire, smoke, and thick darkness. From the same passages it is also plain what the "smoke of the furnace" is, and what the "torch of fire," namely, the most dense falsity and most filthy evil, that would in the last times take possession of the church.
(Arcana Coelestia 1861)

July 30, 2020

Persuasive Faith

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
To believe those things which the Word teaches, or which the doctrine of the church teaches, and not to live according to them, appears as if it were faith, and some also suppose that they are saved by this faith; but no one is saved by this alone, for it is Persuasive Faith, the quality of which shall now be told.

There is Persuasive Faith when the Word and the doctrine of the church are believed and loved, not for the sake of serving the neighbor, that is, one's fellow citizen, our country, the church, heaven, and the Lord Himself; consequently not for the sake of life, for serving these is life; but for the sake of gain, honors, and the reputation of learning, as ends. Wherefore they who are in this faith do not have in view the Lord and heaven, but themselves and the world.

They who aspire after great things in the world, and covet many things, are in a stronger persuasion that what the doctrine of the church teaches is true, than are those who do not aspire after great things and covet many things. The reason is that to the former the doctrine of the church is merely a means to their ends; and the means are loved and also believed in proportion as the ends are desired.

In itself, however, the fact is that insofar as such men are in the fire of the loves of self and of the world, and speak, preach, and act from this fire, so far they are in that persuasion, and they then know no otherwise than that what they say is so. But when they are not in the fire of these loves, they believe nothing, and many of them deny everything; from which it is evident that a Persuasive Faith is a faith of the lips, and not of the heart; thus that in itself it is no faith.

They who are in Persuasive Faith do not know from any internal enlightenment whether what they teach is true or false; nay, they do not care, provided they are believed by the common people; for they are in no affection of truth for the sake of truth. Moreover, above all others they defend faith alone; and the good of faith, which is charity, they make of importance only insofar as they can profit by its means.

They who are in Persuasive Faith abandon faith, if they are deprived of honors and gains, provided their reputation is not endangered; for Persuasive Faith is not within the man, but stands outside, in the memory only, out of which it is drawn while it is being taught. And therefore after death this faith vanishes, together with its truths; for then only that much of faith remains which is within the man; that is, which has been rooted in good; thus has been made of the life.

They who are in Persuasive Faith are meant by those of whom we read in these passages:
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name have cast out demons, and in Thy name done many mighty deeds? But then will I confess unto them, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity (Matt. 7:22, 23).
Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity (Luke 13:26, 27).
They are also meant in Matthew by the five foolish virgins, who had no oil in their lamps:
Afterward came the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answering said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not (Matt. 25:11, 12);
"oil in the lamps" denotes good in the faith.
(Arcana Coelestia 9363-9369)

July 29, 2020

Obstructing the Influx of Heavenly Love

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
All the external rites of the church were signs of the covenant and were to be sacredly observed because internal things were signified by them . . . The internal things are what belong to the covenant because they are effective of conjunction, and the external things are not so except by means of the internal ones. The external things were merely signs of the covenant, or tokens of the conjunction, by means of which they might call to mind the internal things and thereby be conjoined by means of these.  

All the internal things that belong to the covenant, or that are effective of conjunction, relate to love and charity, and proceed from love and charity; for on these two things, namely, loving God more than one's self, and loving the neighbor as one's self, "hang all the law and the prophets," that is, the universal doctrine of faith - 

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.   On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt. 22:34-39; Mark 12:28-35).
There are two so-called loves and their cupidities that obstruct the influx of heavenly love from the Lord; for when these loves reign in the interior and in the external man, and take possession thereof, they either reject or suffocate, and also pervert and contaminate, the inflowing heavenly love; for they are utterly contrary to heavenly love.

But insofar as these loves are removed, so far the heavenly love flowing in from the Lord begins to appear, nay, to give light in the interior man; and so far he begins to see that he is in evil and falsity; next that he is actually in uncleanness and filthiness; and finally that this has been his Own. They who are becoming regenerate are those with whom these loves are being removed.

Observation of this removal is possible also with the unregenerate, for when the cupidities of these loves are quiescent in them, as sometimes occurs when they are in holy meditation, or when the cupidities are lulled, as happens when they are in misfortunes, in sicknesses, and diseases, and especially at the moment of death, then, because bodily and worldly things are lulled and as it were dead, they observe something of heavenly light and the consequent comfort. But with these persons there is not removal of the cupidities in question, but only a lulling of them, for when they return into their former state, they at once relapse into the same cupidities. 

With the evil also, bodily and worldly things can be lulled, and they can then be as it were uplifted into a kind of heavenliness, as sometimes takes place with souls in the other life, especially those newly arrived, who intensely desire to see the glory of the Lord, because they had heard so much about heaven while they lived in the world. The external things above referred to are then lulled in them, and in this way they are carried into the first heaven and enjoy their desire. But they cannot remain long, because there is only a quiescence of the bodily and worldly things, and not a removal of them, as with the angels. Be it known that heavenly love is continually inflowing into man from the Lord, and that nothing else obstructs and impedes it, and causes its reception by the man impossible, except the cupidities of those loves and the falsities derived from them.
(from Arcana Coelestia 2037-2041)

July 28, 2020

Repentance

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
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)

July 26, 2020

After The Resurrection They Are Not Given In Marriage

Selection from Conjugial Love ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
In the Gospels are found these words:
Certain of the Sadducees who deny the resurrection, asked Jesus, saying, Master, Moses wrote, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he be childless, his brother shall take his wife and raise up seed unto his brother. There were seven brethren, one after the other of whom took the wife; but they died childless. At last the woman died also.

Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of them shall she be? But Jesus, answering, said unto them, The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but they which shall be accounted worthy to attain to another age, and the resurrection from the dead, shall neither marry nor be given in marriage; neither can they die any more; for they are like unto angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead rise again, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live unto Him. (Luke 20:27-38; Matt. 22:23-32; Mark 12:18-27.)
There are two things which the Lord taught by these words:

First, that man rises again after death; and second, that in heaven they are not given in marriage. That man rises again after death, He taught by saying, that God is not the God of the dead but of the living, and that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are living. He also taught the same in the parable of the rich man in hell and Lazarus in heaven (Luke 16:22-31).

The second point, that in heaven they are not given in marriage, He taught by the statement, that those who are accounted worthy to attain to another age neither marry nor are given in marriage. That here no other nuptials are meant than spiritual nuptials is very evident from the words which immediately follow: that they cannot die any more because they are like unto angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. By spiritual nuptials is meant conjunction with the Lord. This is effected on earth, and when effected on earth, it is effected in heaven also. Therefore, in the heavens they are not again married and given in marriage. This is also meant by the words, The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but they which are accounted worthy to attain to another age, neither marry nor are given in marriage. They are also called by the Lord sons of the nuptials (Matt. 9:15; Mark 2:19); and, in the present passage, angels, sons of God, and sons of the resurrection.

That marrying means being conjoined with the Lord, and that entering into marriage means being received into heaven by the Lord, is clear from the following passages: The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man, a king, who made a wedding for his son, and sent forth servants and invited to the wedding. (Matt. 22:1-14.)
The kingdom of heaven is like unto ten virgins, who went forth to meet the bridegroom; of whom five, being prepared, went in to the wedding (Matt. 25:1-seq.).
From verse 13 in that chapter, where it is said, Watch, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh, it is evident that by the bridegroom, the Lord meant himself. Also from the Apocalypse:
The time of the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. 19:7, 9.
(Conjugial Love 41)

July 25, 2020

Charity: The Brother of Faith

Excerpts from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
That charity is the "brother" of faith is evident to everyone from the nature or essence of faith. This brotherhood was represented by Esau and Jacob and was the ground of their dispute about the birthright and the consequent dominion.

For both faith and charity are the offspring of the church.
The union of faith and charity is called "the covenant of brethren" (Amos 1:9).
Jacob was desirous of supplanting his brother Esau, as is evident also in Hosea:
To visit upon Jacob his ways, according to his doings will He recompense him; he supplanted his brother in the womb (Hos. 12:2-3).
But that Esau, or the charity represented by Esau, should nevertheless at length have the dominion, appears from the prophetic prediction of their father Isaac:
By thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass, when thou hast the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck (Gen. 27:40)
Or what is the same, the Church of the Gentiles, or new church, is represented by Esau, and the Jewish Church is represented by Jacob; and this is the reason for its being so often said that the Jews should acknowledge the Gentiles as brethren; and in the Church of the Gentiles, or primitive church, all were called brethren, from charity.
Such as hear the Word and do it are likewise called brethren by the Lord (Luke 8:21)
Those who hear are such as have faith; those who do are such as have charity; but those who hear, or say that they have faith, and do not, or have not charity, are not brethren, for the Lord likens them unto fools
Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matt. 7:21-27).
(from Arcana Coelestia 367)

July 24, 2020

The Precepts of Life

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
But as regards the Precepts of Life, such as all things in the Decalogue, and many in the Law and the Prophets — these, being of service to man's very life, are of use in both senses, both the literal and the internal.

The things contained in the literal sense were for the people and peoples of that period, who did not apprehend internal things; the things contained in the internal sense were for the angels, who have no care for external things. Unless the precepts of the Decalogue contained internal things also, they would never have been promulgated on Mount Sinai with so great a miracle; for such things as it contains, such as that parents are to be honored, that men must not steal, must not kill, must not commit adultery, must not covet what is another's, are things which the Gentiles also know and have prescribed in their laws; and which the sons of Israel as men must have been well acquainted with, without such a promulgation. But as those precepts were for the service of life, in both senses, and were as external forms produced from internal, that corresponded to each other — this was the reason why they came down out of heaven upon Mount Sinai with so great a miracle, and in their internal sense were uttered and heard in heaven, while in their external sense they were uttered and heard on earth.

Take as an example the promise that they who honor their parents shall have their days prolonged upon the land: by "parents" the angels in heaven perceived the Lord; by the "land," His kingdom, which those who worship Him from love and faith should eternally possess as sons and heirs; whereas by "parents" men on earth understood parents; by "land," the land of Canaan; by the "prolongation of their days," the years of their life.

Take again the precept that men must not steal: by this the angels who were in heaven perceived that they should take nothing away from the Lord, and should not claim anything of righteousness and merit for themselves; whereas men on earth understood that they must not steal; from which we can see that these precepts are true in both senses.

Take again the precept that men must not kill: by this the angels in heaven perceived that they should not hate anyone, and should not extinguish anything of good and truth with anyone; whereas men on earth understood that their friends must not be killed.

The case is the same with all the other precepts.
(Arcana Coelestia 2609)

July 23, 2020

The Cupidity of Gain and Avarice

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)
"What gain is it?" signifies that there would be nothing of profit or of eminence, is because this was said from cupidity and avarice.

The cupidity of gain and avarice has within it the desire not only to possess the whole world but also to plunder and even to kill everyone for the sake of gain; indeed one impelled by such cupidity would commit murder for but little were not the laws a hindrance. Moreover, such a man in his possession of gold and silver regards himself as the greatest in power, however in external appearance he may seem otherwise, which shows that there is in avarice not only the love of the world, but also the love of self, and indeed the filthiest love of self. For elevation of mind, or pride, in those who are sordidly avaricious, is not so conspicuous outwardly, because it is sometimes unconcerned about wealth for the sake of display; nor is it that kind of the love of self which is usually conjoined with pleasures; for such have little concern about the body, and its food and clothing. But it is a love entirely earthly, having no other end than money, in the possession of which it believes itself, not actually but potentially, above all others. It is evident from this that in avarice there is the lowest and vilest love of self, for which reason in the other life the avaricious appear to themselves to be among swine —
What sordid phantasies the ideas of thought of those who have been sordidly avaricious are turned into, is evident from their hell, which is deep under foot. A vapor exhales from it like that from hogs whose bristles are being scraped off in a scalding trough. There are the homes of the avaricious. Those who come thither at first appear black, but by the scraping off of their hair, as is done with hogs, they seem to themselves to become white. So they then appear to themselves, but still there remains therefrom a mark by which they are known wherever they go. (from n. 939);
and they above all others are against all good whatever. Consequently they are in such thick darkness that they are utterly unable to see what is good and what is true; they do not at all apprehend that there is any internal belonging to man which lives after death, and at heart they laugh at those who say so.

The Jewish nation had been of such a nature from the beginning, and therefore it was impossible for anything internal to be opened plainly to them, as is evident from the Word of the Old Testament; and being rooted in this worst kind of the love of self, they would defile interior truths and goods, and would thus profane them more than all others, unless they were removed by avarice so far from internal things, and were thereby kept in thick darkness, for they cannot profane so long as they do not acknowledge. It is for this reason that the Lord says of them in John, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44); and of Judas Iscariot, who represented the Jewish Church, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70). By Judas also in that he sold the Lord.
(from Arcana Coelestia 4751)

July 22, 2020

A Nexus of Correspondences

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Representations are nothing but images of spiritual things in natural ones, and when the former are rightly represented in the latter, the two correspond. Yet the man who knows not what the spiritual is, but only the natural, is capable of thinking that such representations and derivative correspondences are impossible, for he might say to himself, How can the spiritual act upon the material? But if he will reflect upon the things taking place in himself every moment, he may be able to gain some idea of these matters; namely, how the will can act upon the muscles of the body, and effect real actions; also how thought can act upon the organs of speech, moving the lungs, trachea, throat, tongue, and lips, and thus produce speech; and also how the affections can act on the face, and there present images of themselves, so that another often thereby knows what is being thought and felt.

These examples may give some idea of what representations and correspondences are. As such things are now presented in man, and as there is nothing that can subsist from itself, but only from some other, and this again from some other, and finally from the First, and this by a nexus of correspondences, they who enjoy some extension of judgment may draw the conclusion that there is a correspondence between man and heaven; and further, between heaven and the Lord who is the First.
(Arcana Coelestia 4044)

July 21, 2020

The Distinction that Exists between Natural and Spiritual Faith and Charity

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Faith in its beginning in man is natural, and that as man draws near to the Lord it becomes spiritual; so also with charity. But no one has known, as yet, the distinction that exists between natural and spiritual faith and charity. This great arcanum must, therefore, be disclosed.

There are two worlds, a natural and a spiritual. In each world there is a sun, and from each sun heat and light go forth, but the heat and light from the sun of the spiritual world have life within them; this life is from the Lord who is the midst of that sun; while the heat and light from the sun of the natural world have nothing of life in them; they simply serve the former heat and light as receptacles for the conveying of these to man, as instrumental causes always subserve their principal causes. It must be understood, therefore, that all things spiritual are from the heat and light of the sun of the spiritual world. These are spiritual because they contain in them spirit and life; while all things natural are from the heat and light of the sun of the natural world, which viewed in themselves are without spirit and life.

Since then faith is a matter of light, and charity of heat, it is plain that so far as a man is in the heat and light that go forth from the sun of the spiritual world, he is in spiritual faith and charity — while so far as he is in the light and heat that go forth from the sun of the natural world, he is in natural faith and charity.

Evidently, therefore, as spiritual light is inwardly in natural light as in its receptacle or casket, and spiritual heat in like manner within natural heat, so also is spiritual faith inwardly in natural faith, and spiritual charity inwardly in natural charity.  This is effected in the degree that man advances from the natural to the spiritual world; and this he does so far as he believes in the Lord who is light itself, the way, the truth, and the life, as He Himself teaches.

This being so, it is clear that when man is in spiritual faith, he is also in natural faith. For as just said, spiritual faith is inwardly in natural faith; and as faith is a matter of light, it follows that by that implanting of spiritual faith, man's natural becomes, as it were, transparent, and according to the nature of its conjunction with charity, beautifully colored. This is because charity is ruddy and faith shining white. Charity is ruddy from the flame of spiritual fire, and faith shining white from the splendor of the light therefrom.

The contrary happens when the spiritual is not inwardly in the natural, but the natural inwardly in the spiritual, which is the case with men who reject faith and charity. With such, the internal of their mind, in which they are when left to their own thoughts, is infernal, and they think from hell, although they do not know it; while the external of the mind of such, from which they converse with their companions in the world, is in a manner spiritual, but it is filled full of such unclean things as are in hell. Consequently, they are in hell, for compared with the former class they are in an inverted state.

When it is thus known that the spiritual is inwardly in the natural in those who are in faith in the Lord, and at the same time in charity toward the neighbor, and consequently the natural in them is transparent, it follows that to the same extent man is wise in spiritual things, and therefrom in natural things; for when he thinks about or hears or reads anything, he sees interiorly within himself whether it is the truth or not. This he perceives from the Lord, from whom spiritual light and heat flow into the higher sphere of his understanding.

So far as faith and charity in man become spiritual, he is withdrawn from his own, and ceases to look to himself or to reward or remuneration, and looks solely to the delight in perceiving the truths of faith and doing the good works of love; and so far as this spirituality increases, that delight becomes blessedness. From this is man's salvation, which is called eternal life. This state of man may be compared with the most beautiful and charming things in the world, and in the Word is compared with them, as for instance, with fruitful trees and the gardens in which they are, with flowery fields, with precious stones, with delicacies, with nuptials and their festivities and rejoicings.

But when the reverse is the case, that is to say, when the natural is inwardly in the spiritual, and consequently, the man in his internals is a devil, but in his externals is like an angel, he may be compared to a dead man in a coffin of costly and gilded wood. He may also be compared to a skeleton adorned with clothing like a man, and drawn about in a magnificent carriage or to a corpse in a sepulchre built like the temple of Diana.  His internal may be pictured even as a nest of serpents in a cavern, and his external as butterflies whose wings are tinted with all kinds of colors, but which nevertheless stick foul eggs to the leaves of useful trees, and so destroy the fruit. Or the internal of such may be compared to a hawk, and their external to a dove, and their faith and charity to a hawk pursuing a fleeing dove, which at length he wearies and then darts upon and devours.
(True Christian Religion 360-361)

July 20, 2020

A Knowledge that Surpasses Other Knowledges

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
The Ancient Church was in representatives and significatives.

The knowledge of such things was their intelligence and wisdom, and this not only of those who were of the church, but also of those who were out of the church, as is evident from the oldest books of the Gentiles, and from the things which at this day are called fables; for significatives and representatives were derived to them from the Ancient Church.

At the present day these things cannot but appear paradoxical, because, as before said, this knowledge is altogether obsolete and lost. And yet how much this knowledge surpasses other knowledges, may be seen from the fact that without it the Word cannot possibly be known as to its internal sense; and because the angels who are with man perceive the Word according to this sense; and also because by means of this knowledge communication is given to man with heaven. And (what is incredible) the internal man itself thinks in no other way; for when the external man apprehends the Word according to the letter, the internal man apprehends it at the same time according to the internal sense, although the man while living in the body is not aware of this. Especially may this be seen from the fact that when a man comes into the other life and becomes an angel, he knows the internal sense as of himself without instruction.
(excerpt from Arcana Coelestia 4280)

July 18, 2020

God Alone is Life

Selection from Divine Love and Wisdom ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Love and wisdom, and will and understanding therefrom, make the very life of man.

Scarcely any one knows what life is. When one thinks about life, it seems as if it were a fleeting something, of which no distinct idea is possible. It so seems because it is not known that God alone is life, and that His life is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. From this it is evident that in man, life is nothing else than love and wisdom, and that there is life in man in the degree in which he receives these.

It is known that heat and light go forth from the sun, and that all things in the universe are recipients and grow warm and bright in the degree in which they receive. So do heat and light go forth from the sun where the Lord is; the heat going forth therefrom is love, and the light wisdom. Life, therefore, is from these two which go forth from the Lord as a sun.

That love and wisdom from the Lord is life can be seen also from this, that man grows torpid as love recedes from him, and stupid as wisdom recedes from him, and that were they to recede altogether he would become extinct.
• There are many things pertaining to love which have received other names because they are derivatives, such as affections, desires, appetites, and their pleasures and enjoyments.
• There are many things pertaining to wisdom, such as perception, reflection, recollection, thought, intention to an end.
• There are many pertaining to both love and wisdom, such as consent, conclusion, and determination to action; besides others. 
All of these, in fact, pertain to both, but they are designated from the more prominent and nearer of the two.

From these two are derived ultimately sensations, those of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, with their enjoyments and pleasures. It is according to appearance that the eye sees; but it is the understanding that sees through the eye; consequently seeing is predicated also of the understanding. The appearance is that the ear hears; but it is the understanding that hears through the ear; consequently hearing is predicated also of attention and giving heed, which pertain to the understanding. The appearance is that the nose smells, and the tongue tastes but it is the understanding that smells and also tastes by virtue of its perception; therefore smelling and tasting are predicated also of perception. So in other cases.

The sources of all these are love and wisdom; from which it can be seen that these two make the life of man.
(Divine Love and Wisdom 363)

July 17, 2020

The Name "Lord"

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
The name "Lord" is often used in the Word.  One who has no knowledge of the internal sense supposes that nothing more is meant by it than what is meant by the use of this term in common speech; but "Lord" is never used in the Word except where good is treated of, and the same is true of "Jehovah;" but when truth is treated of, "God" and "King" are used. For this reason by a "lord" is signified good, as is evident from the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords (Deut. 10:17).
In David:
Confess ye to Jehovah. Confess ye to the God of gods. Confess ye to the Lord of lords (Ps. 136:1-3);
where Jehovah or the Lord is called "God of gods" from the Divine truth which proceeds from Him, and "Lord of lords" from the Divine good which is in Him.

So in the Revelation:
The Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings (Rev. 17:14).
And again:
He that sat upon the white horse hath upon His vesture and upon His thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16);
that the Lord is here called "King of kings" from Divine truth, and "Lord of lords" from Divine good, is plain from the particulars; the "name written" is His quality; the "vesture" on which it was written is the truth of faith; the "thigh" on which also that quality was written, is the good of love. From this also it is plain that the Lord from Divine truth is called "King of kings" and from Divine good "Lord of lords."

From this it is also clear what is meant by the "Lord's Christ," in Luke:
Answer was made to Simeon by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, until he had seen the Lord's Christ (Luke 2:26);
the "Lord's Christ" is the Divine truth of the Divine good; for "Christ" is the same as "Messiah," and "Messiah" is the "Anointed" or "King" "The Lord" here is Jehovah. In the Word of the New Testament the name "Jehovah" is nowhere used; but instead of it "Lord" and "God"; as also in Luke:
Jesus said, How say they that the Christ is David's Son? for David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand (Luke 20:41-42).
The same passage reads thus in David:
The saying of Jehovah unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand (Ps. 110:1).
It is plain that "Jehovah" in David is called "Lord" in the Evangelist. "Lord" there denotes the Divine good of the Divine Human; omnipotence is signified by "sitting at the right hand".

When the Lord was in the world He was Divine truth; but when He was glorified, that is, when He had made the Human in Himself Divine, He became Divine good, from which thereafter Divine truth proceeds. For this reason the disciples after the resurrection did not call Him "Master," as before, but "Lord," as is evident in John (21:7, 12, 15-17, 20), and also in the rest of the Evangelists. The Divine truth, which the Lord was when in the world, and which thereafter proceeds from Him, that is, from the Divine good, is called also "the angel of the covenant," in Malachi:
The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, and the Angel of the covenant whom ye desire (Mal. 3:1).
As Divine good is meant by "Lord," and Divine truth by "King," therefore where the Lord is spoken of as having dominion and a kingdom, "dominion" is predicated of Divine good, and a "kingdom" of Divine truth, and therefore also the Lord is called "Lord of nations," and "King of peoples;" for by "nations" are signified those who are in good, and by "peoples" those who are in truth.

Good is called a "lord" relatively to a servant, and it is called a "father" relatively to a son-as in Malachi:
A son honoreth his father, and a servant his lord; if then I be a father, where is My honor; and if I be a lord, where is My fear? (Mal. 1:6).
And in David:
Joseph was sold for a servant. The discourse of Jehovah proved him. The king sent and loosed him, the ruler of nations opened for him, he set him lord of his house, and ruler in all his possession (Ps. 105:17, 19-21);
that by "Joseph" here is meant the Lord, is evident from the several particulars; the "lord" here is the Divine good of the Divine Human.
(from Arcana Coelestia 4973)

July 16, 2020

According to the State of the Organization of Man's Mind

Selection from Divine Providence ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Everything confirmed by the will and also by the understanding remains to eternity, because everyone is his own love, and his love belongs to his will; also because every man is his own good or his own evil, for everything that is called good, and likewise evil, belongs to the love.

As man is his own love, he is also a form of his love and may be called the organ of his life's love.

The affections of the love and consequent thoughts of man are changes and variations of the state and form of the organic substances of his mind. What these changes and variations are and their nature shall now be explained.

Some idea of them may be gathered from the heart and lungs, where there are alternate [expansions] and [compressions] or [dilations] and [contractions], which in the heart are called [systole] and [diastole] and in the lungs [respirations]; these are a reciprocal [distension] and [retraction] or [reciprocal stretching apart] and [closing together of their lobes]. Such are the changes and variations of the state of the heart and lungs. There are like changes in the other viscera of the body, and changes more similar in their parts, by which the blood and the animal juice are received and carried onward.

Like things are to be found in the organic forms of the mind, which are the subjects of man's affections and thoughts with the difference that their [expansions] and [compressions], or [reciprocations], are relatively in such higher perfection as cannot be expressed in the words of natural language, but only in those of spiritual language, and these can be defined in no other way than that they are vortex-like circlings inward and outward, after the manner of perpetual and incurving spirals wonderfully bundled together into forms receptive of life.

The nature of these purely organic substances and forms in the evil and in the good shall now be stated.

In the good, these spiral forms are turned forward, but in the evil, backward
    • the spiral forms turning forward are turned towards the Lord and receive influx from Him
    • those turning backward are turned towards hell and receive influx therefrom.
It is to be known that so far as they are turned backward they are open behind and closed in front; and on the other hand, so far as they are turned forward they are opened in front and closed behind.

From all this it is evident what kind of a form or organ an evil man is, and what kind of a form or organ a good man is, namely:

    • that they are turned in contrary directions
• the turning when once fixed cannot be reversed
• such as man is when he dies such he remains to eternity.
It is the love of man's will that makes the turning, that is, that converts and inverts, for, as has been said above, every man is his own love. It is from this that every man after death goes the way of his own love — he that is in a good love to heaven, and he that is in an evil love to hell; he finds rest only in that society where his reigning love is; and what is wonderful, everyone knows the way, it is like following a scent with the nose.
(Divine Providence 319)
***
Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. (Exodus 6:1)
It was believed from the law Divine, that it would come to pass that those who are of the spiritual church would be immediately liberated from infestations; when yet it is according to order that the evil who infest should be removed by degrees, and that they who are of the spiritual church should be liberated by degrees; for such is the Divine order; and therefore such is the law Divine; for all law Divine is of order, insomuch that whether we say, the law Divine, or the law of Divine order, it is the same.

Concerning this law, they who are of the spiritual church are now instructed, and that it is from this law that they are certain to be liberated when the time and state according to order arrives. That Moses (by whom is here represented the law Divine, such as it is with those of the spiritual church when they are in a state of infestations) believed from the law Divine that it would come to pass that they would be immediately liberated from infestations, is plain from what he said at the close of the preceding chapter, namely,
Wherefore hast Thou done evil unto this people? Why is this that Thou hast sent me? And liberating Thou hast not liberated Thy people. (Exodus 5:22-23)
by which words is signified that they were too much infested by falsities, when yet the law proceeding from the Divine seems to say otherwise, and that in this way they have not been released from a state of infestations.

That those who are of the spiritual church, and who are in the lower earth, would be gradually liberated from infestations, and not immediately, is because the evils and falsities that cling to them cannot otherwise be removed, and goods and truths be instilled in their place.
This is effected by many changes of state, thus successively by degrees.
They who believe that man can be immediately introduced into heaven, and that this is solely of the Lord's mercy, are very much mistaken. If this were possible, all whatsoever who are in hell would be raised into heaven, for the Lord's mercy extends to all. But it is according to order that everyone carries with him his life which he had lived in the world, and his state in the other life is according to this, and that the mercy of the Lord flows in with all, but is diversely received, and by those who are in evil, is rejected. 
As in the world they have imbued themselves with evil, they also retain it in the other life, nor is amendment possible in the other life, for the tree lies where it has fallen.
From all this it is evident that it is according to order that those who have lived in good, and with whom there are also gross and impure things which pertain to the love of the world and the love of self, cannot be associated with those who are in the heavens until these things have been removed. From all this it is evident that liberation from infestations is effected successively by degrees.
(from Arcana Coelestia 7186)

July 15, 2020

A House ~ The Natural Mind and The Rational Mind

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
A "house" in the internal sense is the natural mind, for the natural mind, as also the rational mind, is like a house: the husband therein is good, the wife is truth, the daughters and sons are affections of good and truth, and also goods and truth derived from the former as parents; the maidservants and menservants are the pleasures and memory-knowledges which minister and confirm. . . .

That the natural and the rational mind of man are called a "house," is evident from the following passages:
When the unclean spirit is gone out from a man, he wandereth through dry places, seeking rest; and if he findeth it not, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And if on coming he findeth it swept and garnished, he then goeth away and taketh to him seven other spirits worse than himself; and they enter in and dwell there (Luke 11:24-26);
the "house" here denotes the natural mind, which is called a "house that is empty and swept" when there are within it no goods and truths, which are the husband and wife; no affections of good and truth, which are the daughters and sons; nor such things as confirm, which are the maidservants and menservants. The man himself is the "house," because the rational and the natural mind make the man; and without these things, that is, without goods and truths and their affections and the ministry of these affections, he is not a man, but a brute.

The mind of man is also meant by a "house" in the same evangelist:
Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and house falleth upon house (Luke 11:17);
And in Mark:
If a kingdom be divided against itself, this Kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, this house cannot stand. No one can pillage the vessels of a strong man after entering into his house, unless he first bind the strong man; and then he pillages his house (Mark 3:24, 25, 27);
by "kingdom" is signified truth, and by "house," good; "house" signifies good in an eminent sense.

In Luke:
If the master of the house had known in what hour the thief would come, he would at least have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through (Luke 12:39).
Again:
From henceforth there shall be five in one house [divided], three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother (Luke 12:52-53);
where the subject treated of is the spiritual combats into which those who are of the church will come, after the internal or spiritual things of the Word have been opened. The "house" denotes man or his mind; "father," "mother," "son," and "daughter" are goods and truths with their affections, and in the opposite sense evils and falsities with their affections, from which and with which there is combat.

The Lord's command to His disciples:
Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house; and if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if not, it shall return upon you; but remain in the same house; eat and drink what they have; pass not from house to house (Luke 10:5-7);
represented that they should abide in good itself, that is, in the good of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor, and not pass into any other.
***
Heaven itself is called the "house of God," because therein is nothing else than good and truth, and the good acts through truth united or conjoined with itself. This is also represented in marriages between a husband and wife who constitute one house, by reason that conjugial love comes forth from the Divine marriage of good and truth; and both the husband and the wife have a will from good, but with a difference such as is that of good in respect to its own truth; and therefore good is signified by the husband, and truth by the wife; for when there is one house, then good is the all therein, and truth, being of good, is also good. (from Arcana Coelestia 3538)
(from Arcana Coelestia 5023)

July 13, 2020

An 'Own' that is Innocent

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works. (Matthew 16:24-27)
In all good there must be innocence in order that it may be good. Charity without innocence is not charity; and still less is love to the Lord possible without innocence. For this reason innocence is the very essential of love and charity, consequently of good.
An own that is innocent is to know, acknowledge, and believe, not with the mouth but with the heart, that nothing but evil is from one's self, and that all good is from the Lord
and therefore that what is man's own is nothing but blackness; that is to say, not only the own of his will, which is evil, but also the own of his understanding, which is falsity. When man is in this confession and belief from the heart, the Lord flows in with good and truth, and insinuates into him a heavenly own, which is white and lustrous.
No one can ever be in true humility unless he is in this acknowledgment and belief from the heart; for he is then in annihilation of self, nay, in the loathing of self, and thus in absence from self; and in this manner he is then in a state capable of receiving the Divine of the Lord.
It is by this means that the Lord flows in with good into a humble and contrite heart.
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this word for me, I will return, and feed and keep thy flock. I will pass through all thy flock this day, removing from thence every small cattle that is speckled and spotted, and every black one among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and these shall be my reward. And my righteousness shall answer for me on the morrow, because thou comest upon my reward before thee; every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the lambs, stolen is this by me. (Genesis 30:31-33)
Such is the own that is innocent, which is here signified by the "black among the lambs" that Jacob chose for himself; but the white among the lambs is the self-merit that is placed in goods. (That "white" is merit) This Jacob did not choose, because it is contrary to innocence; for he who places self-merit in goods, acknowledges and believes that all good is from himself; because in the goods he does he has regard to himself, and not to the Lord, and accordingly demands recompense on account of his merit. Such a one therefore despises others in comparison with himself, and even condemns them, and consequently in the same proportion recedes from heavenly order, that is, from good and truth. From all this it is now evident that charity toward the neighbor and love to the Lord are impossible unless there is innocence within them; consequently that no one can come into heaven unless there is something of innocence in him; according to the Lord's words:
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein (Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17);
by a "little child" here and elsewhere in the Word is signified innocence. (Infancy is not innocence, but that innocence dwells in wisdom.)

That "lambs" signify innocence may be seen from many passages in the Word, of which the following may be adduced in confirmation. In Isaiah:
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them (Isa. 11:6);
where the subject treated of is the Lord's kingdom and the state of peace and innocence therein. The "wolf" denotes those who are against innocence; and the "lamb," those who are in innocence. Again in the same Prophet:
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's bread. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all the mountain of My holiness (Isa. 65:25);
where the "wolf" as above denotes those who are against innocence; and the "lamb," those who are in innocence. As the "wolf" and the "lamb" are opposites, the Lord also said to the seventy whom He sent forth:
Behold I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves (Luke 10:3).
In Moses:
He maketh him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs and of rams, the sons of Bashan (Deut. 32:13-14);
here in the internal sense the celestial things of the Ancient Church are treated of, and the "fat of lambs" denotes the charity of innocence.

In the original language "lambs" are expressed by various names, by which are signified the different degrees of innocence; for as before said, in all good there must be innocence to make it good; consequently there must be the same in truth. "Lambs" are here expressed by the same word that is used for "sheep" (as in Lev. 1:10; 3:7; 5:6; 17:3; 22:19; Num. 18:17); and it is the innocence of the faith of charity that is signified. Elsewhere they are expressed by other words, as in Isaiah:
Send ye the lamb of the ruler of the land from the rock toward the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion (Isa. 16:1).
By still another word in the same prophet:
The Lord Jehovih cometh in strength, and his arm shall rule for him; he shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that give suck (Isa. 40:10-11);
where to "gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom," denotes those who are in charity in which there is innocence.

In John:
When Jesus showed Himself to the disciples, He said to Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs. He saith to him a second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My sheep (John 21:15-16).
"By Peter" here and elsewhere is signified faith, and as faith is not faith unless it is from charity toward the neighbor, and thus from love to the Lord; and as charity and love are not charity and love unless they are from innocence, for this reason the Lord first asks Peter whether he loves Him, that is, whether there is love in the faith, and then says, "Feed My lambs," that is, those who are in innocence. And then, after the same question, He says, "Feed My sheep," that is, those who are in charity.

As the Lord is the innocence itself which is in His kingdom, the all of innocence being from Him, He is called the "Lamb"; as in John:
The next day John the Baptist seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36).
And in the Revelation:
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and they that are with Him are called, and chosen (Rev. 17:14, and elsewhere, in Rev. 5:6; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1, 4; 19:7, 9; 21:22-23, 26-27; 22:1, 3).
That in the supreme sense the paschal lamb is the Lord is well known; for the passover signified the Lord's glorification, that is, the putting on of the Divine in respect to the Human; and in the representative sense it signifies man's regeneration; and the paschal lamb signifies that which is the essential of regeneration, namely, innocence; for no one can be regenerated except by means of the charity in which there is innocence.

As innocence is the primary thing in the Lord's kingdom, and is the celestial itself there, and as the sacrifices and burnt-offerings represented the spiritual and celestial things of the Lord's kingdom, therefore the very essential of the Lord's kingdom, which is innocence, was represented by lambs. For this reason a perpetual or daily burnt-offering was made of lambs, one in the morning, and another in the evening (Exod. 29:37-39; Num. 28:3, 4), and a double one on the sabbath days (Num. 28:9, 10), and of still more lambs on stated festivals (Lev. 23:12; Num. 28:11, 17, 19, 27; 29). The reason why a woman who had given birth, after the days of her cleansing were accomplished, was to offer a lamb for a burnt-offering, and the young of a pigeon or a turtle-dove (Lev. 12:6), was that the effect of conjugial love might be signified (for that conjugial love is innocence, and also because innocence is signified by "infants."
(from Arcana Coelestia 3994)

July 11, 2020

All Doctrinal Things Serve as Vessels for Celestial Things

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
In the Jewish Church for the sake of this representation and signification the birds were not divided, is evident in Moses:
If his offering to Jehovah be a burnt-offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtle-doves or of the sons of the pigeon. And he shall cleave it with its wings, he shall not divide it (Lev. 1:14, 17).
And the same in the case of the sacrifices for sin:
And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the Lord; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. And he shall bring them unto the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off his head from his neck, but shall not divide it asunder: And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering upon the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be wrung out at the bottom of the altar: it is a sin offering. (Lev. 5:7-9).
And the birds he did not divide. That this signifies spiritual things, and that in them there is not such a parallelism and correspondence, is evident from the signification of "birds," as being what is spiritual, as distinguished from what is celestial. . . By spiritual things are signified all the things of faith, consequently all doctrinal things, for these are called things of faith, although they are not of faith until they have been conjoined with charity. Between these and the Lord there is not a parallelism and correspondence-
for they are such things as do not flow in by internal dictate and conscience, as do those which are of love and charity, but they flow in by instruction, and so by hearing, thus not from the interior, but from the exterior, and in this way they form their vessels or recipients in man.
The greater part of them appear as if they were truths, but are not truths, such as those things which are of the literal sense of the Word, and are representatives of truth and significatives of truth, and thus are not in themselves truths; some of them even being falsities, which however can serve as vessels and recipients. But in the Lord there are none but truths that are essentially such; and therefore with these there is no parallelism and correspondence on the part of those apparent truths, but still they may be so adapted as to serve as vessels for the celestial things which are of love and charity. These apparent truths are what constitute the cloud of the intellectual part into which the Lord insinuates charity, and so makes conscience.

For example: with those who remain in the sense of the letter of the Word, and suppose that it is the Lord who leads into temptation and who then torments man's conscience, and who suppose that because He permits evil He is the cause of evil, and that He thrusts the evil down into hell, with other similar things: these are apparent truths, but are not truths; and because they are not truths that are such in themselves, there is no parallelism and correspondence. Still the Lord leaves them intact in man, and miraculously adapts them by means of charity so that they can serve celestial things as vessels.

So also with the worship, the religious teachings and morals, and even with the idols, of the well-disposed Gentiles; these likewise the Lord leaves intact, and yet adapts them by means of charity so that they also serve as vessels.

The case was the same in regard to the very numerous rites in the Ancient Church, and afterwards in the Jewish Church; which in themselves were nothing but rituals in which there was not truth, but which were tolerated and permitted, and indeed commanded, because they were held as sacred by parents, and so were implanted in the minds of children and impressed upon them from infancy as truths.

For the things that are once implanted in a man's opinion, and are accounted as holy, the Lord leaves intact, provided they are not contrary to Divine order; and although there is no parallelism and correspondence, still He adapts them. These same things are what was signified in the Jewish Church by the birds not being divided in the sacrifices; for to divide is to place the parts opposite to each other in such a manner that they may adequately correspond; and because the things which have been spoken of are not adequately in correspondence, they are obliterated in the other life with those who suffer themselves to be instructed, and truths themselves are implanted in their affections of good.
(from Arcana Coelestia 1832)

July 9, 2020

Love of The Neighbor and Love of Self are Opposite Loves

Selection from Divine Providence Emanuel Swedenborg
• Love of the neighbor wishes well to everyone from itself, while love of self wishes well to itself alone from everyone.
• Love of the neighbor wishes to serve everyone, while love of self wishes everyone to serve it.
• Love of the neighbor regards everyone as its brother and friend, while love of self regards everyone as its servant, or as its enemy, if he does not serve it; in a word, it regards itself only, and others scarcely as men, holding them in heart in less estimation than its horses and dogs. And because it regards them as of so little account it thinks nothing of doing evil to them; and this is the source of hatred and revenge, adultery and whoredom, theft and fraud, lying and defamation, violence and cruelty, and other such evils. Such are the evils in which man is from birth.
(from Divine Providence 276)

July 7, 2020

The Acknowledgments In True Worship

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
All true worship consists in adoration of the Lord, adoration of the Lord in humiliation, and humiliation in one's acknowledgment that in himself there is nothing living, and nothing good, but that all within him is dead, yea, cadaverous; and in the acknowledgment that everything living and everything good is from the Lord. The more a man acknowledges these things, not with the mouth, but with the heart, the more he is in humiliation; and consequently the more he is in adoration, that is, in true worship, and the more he is in love and charity, and the more in happiness. The one is in the other, so conjoined as to be inseparable.
(from Arcana Coelestia 1153)

July 6, 2020

Doubting During Temptation

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
In all temptation there is somewhat of doubt concerning the Lord's presence and mercy, and concerning salvation and the like things.

Those who are in temptation are in interior anxiety, even to despair; in which they are for the most part kept, to the end -
that they may be at length confirmed in the fact that all things are of the Lord's mercy;
that they are saved by Him alone
that with themselves there is nothing but evil
in respect to which -
they are confirmed by means of conflicts in which they overcome.
After the temptation there remain from it many states of truth and good to which their thoughts may afterwards be bent by the Lord, which would otherwise rush into insane things, and draw away the mind into opposition to what is true and good.
(from Arcana Coelestia 2334)

July 3, 2020

The Word Being Opened to the Churches, and Afterwards Closed

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. 
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  (Matthew 22:35-40)
As regards the Word being opened to the churches, and being afterwards closed, the case is this:

In the beginning of the setting up of any church, the Word is at first closed to the men of it, and is afterwards opened, the Lord so providing; and thus they learn that all doctrine is founded on the two commandments — that the Lord is to be loved above all things, and the neighbor as themselves.  When these two commandments are regarded as the end, the Word is opened; for all the Law and the Prophets, that is, the whole Word, so depend on these commandments that all things are derived from them and therefore all have reference to them.  And whereas the men of the church are then in the principles of truth and good, they are enlightened in everything they see in the Word; for the Lord is then present with them by means of angels, and teaches them (although they are unaware of this), and also leads them into the life of truth and good.

This may be seen also from the case of all churches, in that they were such in their infancy, and worshiped the Lord from love, and loved the neighbor from the heart.

But in process of time churches withdraw from these two commandments, and turn aside from the good of love and charity to the so-called things of faith, thus from life to doctrine; and insofar as they do this, so far the Word is closed.
(Arcana Coelestia 3773)

July 2, 2020

Performing Offices of Charity

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry and fed Thee? or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger and gathered Thee? or naked and clothed Thee? When saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? But the King shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Insofar as ye did it to one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it to Me. (Matt. 25:44-45).
Lord, when saw we Thee hungry and fed Thee? or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger and gathered Thee? or naked and clothed Thee? When saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? signifies that if they had seen the Lord Himself, everyone of them would have performed these offices; yet not from love toward Him, but from fear because He was to be the judge of the universe; thus not for His sake, but for the sake of themselves; thus not from within or from the heart, but from without and in act only.

This is as when one sees a king whose favor he desires to gain, in order that he may become great or rich, and therefore bears himself submissively toward him. It is similar with those who are in holy external worship, in which they, as it were, see the Lord, and submit themselves to Him, believing that in this way they will receive eternal life; and yet they have no charity, and do no good to anyone except for their own sake, thus only to themselves. They are like persons who in outward form pay court to their king with much respect, and yet deride his commands because at heart they disregard him. These and similar things are what are signified by those on the right hand so answering; and as the evil also do the like things in outward form, therefore they who were on the left made nearly the same answer.
As therefore the Lord cares not for external but for internal things, and as man testifies to his internal things, not by worship only, but by charity and its acts, the Lord answered:
Verily I say to you, Insofar as ye did it to one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it to Me;
those are called "brethren" who are in the good of charity and of life; for the Lord is with them, because they are in good itself; and it is they who are properly meant by the neighbor. In these also the Lord does not manifest Himself, for in respect to Him, they are vile; but the man manifests himself before the Lord, in that he worships Him from within.
(from Arcana Coelestia 5066 - 5067)
To receive Divine truth is not only to have faith, but also to practice it, that is, to cause that which is of doctrine to become of the life. (n. 5068)

July 1, 2020

The Rebirth of Man by Means of Memory-knowledges

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
In Mark 4:26-29, the comparison with the blade, the ear*, and the corn, involves the rebirth of man by means of memory-knowledges, truths of faith, and goods of charity:
Jesus said, So is the kingdom of God, as when a man casteth seed upon the earth; then sleepeth and riseth night and day, but the seed germinates and grows while he knoweth not. For the earth beareth fruit of itself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come (Mark 4:26-29);
the "kingdom of God," which is compared to the blade, the ear, and the corn, is heaven in man through regeneration; for one who has been regenerated has the kingdom of God within him, and becomes in image the kingdom of God or heaven. The "blade" is the first memory-knowledge; the "ear" is the memory-knowledge of truth thence derived; the "corn" is the derivative good.

Moreover, the laws enacted in regard to gleanings (Lev. 19:9; 23:22), and in regard to the liberty of plucking the ears from the standing corn of the neighbor (Deut. 23:25), and also in regard to eating no bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the offering of God was brought (Lev. 23:14), represented such things as are signified by "ears."
***
* The reason why "ears" or spikes of corn signify memory-knowledges, is that "corn" signifies the good of the natural, because memory-knowledges are the containants of the good of the natural, as the ears are of the corn; for in general all truths are vessels of good, and so also are memory-knowledges, for these are lowest truths.

Lowest truths, or truths of the exterior natural, are called memory-knowledges, because they are in man's natural or external memory, and because they partake for the most part of the light of the world, and hence can be presented and represented to others by forms of words, or by ideas formed into words by means of such things as are of the world and its light.

The things in the inner memory, however, insofar as they partake of the light of heaven, are not called memory-knowledges, but truths; nor can they be understood except by means of this light, or expressed except by forms of words, or ideas formed into words, by means of such things as are of heaven and its light.
***
The memory-knowledges into which the things of faith and of charity can be applied are very many, such as all the memory-knowledges of the church which are signified by "Egypt" in a good sense; and consequently all those memory-knowledges which are truths about correspondences, representatives, significatives, influx, order, intelligence and wisdom, and the affections; and also all truths of inner and outer nature, both visible and invisible, because these correspond to spiritual truths.
(from Arcana Coelestia 5212 - 5214)