To Love is to Do

Selection from Divine Love ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

So far as man is in the love of use, so far is he in the Lord, so far he loves the Lord and loves the neighbor, and so far he is a man.

From the love of uses we are taught what is meant by loving the Lord and loving the neighbor, also what is meant by being in the Lord and being a man.

• To love the Lord means to do uses from Him and for His sake.
• To love the neighbor means to do uses to the church, to one's country, to human society, and to the fellow-citizen.
• To be in the Lord means to be a use.
• To be a man means to perform uses to the neighbor from the Lord for the Lord's sake.

To love the Lord means to do uses from Him and for His sake, for the reason that all the good uses that man does are from the Lord; good uses are goods, and it is well known that these are from the Lord. Loving these is doing them, for what a man loves he does. No one can love the Lord in any other way; for uses, which are goods, are from the Lord, and consequently are Divine; yea they are the Lord Himself with man. These are the things that the Lord can love. The Lord cannot be conjoined by love to any man, and consequently cannot enable man to love Him, except through His own Divine things; for man from himself cannot love the Lord. The Lord Himself must draw him and conjoin him to Himself,  and therefore loving the Lord as a Person, and not loving uses, is loving the Lord from oneself, which is not loving. He that performs uses or goods from the Lord performs them also for the Lord's sake. These things may be illustrated by the celestial love in which the angels of the third heaven are. These angels are in love to the Lord more than the angels in the other heavens are; and they have no idea that loving the Lord is anything else than doing goods which are uses, and they say that uses are the Lord with them. By uses they understand the uses and good works of ministry, administration, and employment, as well with priests and magistrates as with merchants and workmen; the good works that are not connected with their occupation they do not call uses; they call them alms, benefactions, and gratuities.

Loving the neighbor means performing uses to the church, one's country, society, and the fellow-citizen, because these are the neighbor in the broad and in the limited sense; neither can these be loved otherwise than by the uses that belong to each one's office. A priest loves the church, the country, society, the citizen, and thus the neighbor, if he teaches and leads his hearers from zeal for their salvation. Magistrates and officers love the church, the country, society, the citizen, and thus the neighbor, if they discharge their respective functions from zeal for the common good; judges, if from zeal for justice; merchants, if from zeal for sincerity; workmen, if from rectitude; servants, if from faithfulness; and so forth. When with all these there is faithfulness, rectitude, sincerity, justice, and zeal, there is the love of use from the Lord; and from Him they have love to the neighbor in the broad and in the limited sense; for who that in heart is faithful, upright, sincere and just, does not love the church, the country, and his fellow-citizen?

From what has now been said it is plain that loving the Lord is performing uses from Him, and loving the neighbor is performing uses to him, and the object on account of whom uses are performed is the neighbor, use, and the Lord; and that love thus returns to Him from whom it is. For every love as source through love for its object returns to love as source, which return constitutes its reciprocal. And love continually goes forth and returns through deeds, which are uses, since to love is to do. For love, unless it becomes deed, ceases to be love, since deed is the effect of love's end, and is that in which it exists.

So far as man is in the love of use so far is he in the Lord; because so far is he in the Church, and so far in heaven; and the church and heaven from the Lord are as one man; the forms of which (called higher or lower organic forms, also interior and exterior) are made up of all who love uses by doing them; and the uses themselves are what compose that Man, because it is a spiritual Man, that does not consist of persons, but of the uses with them. Yet all those are there who receive from the Lord the love of uses; and these are they who do them for the neighbor's sake, for use's sake, and for the Lord's sake; and since this Man is the Divine that proceeds from the Lord, and the Divine proceeding is the Lord in the church and in heaven, it follows that they all are in the Lord.

These are a Man, because every use that in any way promotes the general good or serves the public, is a man, beautiful and perfect according to the quality of the use, and at the same time the quality of its affection. The reason of this is, that in each single part of the human body there is, from its use, an idea of the whole; for the part looks to the whole as its source, and the whole sees the part in itself, as its agent. It is from this idea of the whole in each part that each use therein is a man, in small as well as in greater parts; there are organic forms in the part as well as in the whole; in fact, the parts of parts, which are interior, are men more than the composite parts, because all perfection increases toward the interiors. For all organic forms in man are composed of interior forms, and these of forms still more interior, even to inmosts, by means of which communication is given with every affection and thought of man's mind. For man's mind, in all its particulars, extends into all things of his body; its range is into all things of the body; for it is the very form of life. Unless the mind had such a field, there would be neither mind nor man. From this it is that the choice and decision of man's will are determined instantly, and produce and determine actions, just as if thought and will were themselves in the things of the body, and not above them. That every least thing in man, from its use, is a man, does not fall into the natural idea as it does into the spiritual; in the spiritual idea man is not a person, but a use; for the spiritual idea is apart from an idea of person, as it is apart from an idea of matter, space, and time; therefore when one sees another in heaven, he sees him indeed as a man, but he thinks of him as a use. An angel also appears in face according to the use in which he is, and affection for the use makes the life of the face. From all this it can be seen that every good use is in form a man.

(from Divine Love XIII)

Are my actions a life of 'Christian Charity' or merely 'Moral Theology?'

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The first of the firstfruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God. (Exodus 23:19)

That this signifies that all truths of good and goods of truth are holy, because they are from the Lord alone, is evident from the signification of "the firstfruits of the ground," as being that the goods and truths of the church are to be ascribed to the Lord alone. It is said "the first of the firstfruits," because this ascription must be the foremost thing; for goods and truths have their life from the Lord, and they have life from the Lord when they are ascribed to Him. And from the signification of "bringing into the house of God," as being to ascribe to the Lord, that they may be holy. ("the house of God" denotes the Lord; and everything holy is from the Lord.) From all of which it is evident that by "the first of the first fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring into the house of Jehovah thy God" is signified that all truths of good and goods of truth are holy, because they are from the Lord alone.

They are called "truths of good" and "goods of truth," because with the man who is being regenerated, and still more so with him when he has been regenerated, truths are of good, and goods are of truth — for truths make the life of the understanding, and good makes the life of the will. Moreover, with the regenerate man the understanding and the will make one mind, and communicate reciprocally, the truths which are of the understanding with the good which is of the will, and the good which is of the will with the truths which are of the understanding. They flow into each other scarcely otherwise than as the blood flows from the heart into the lungs, and thence back again into the heart; and then from the left ventricle of the heart into the arteries, and from these through the veins back again into the heart. Such an idea may be formed about the reciprocal action of good and truth in man from his understanding into his will, and from his will into his understanding. That an idea about the reciprocal action of the truth of faith and the good of charity in the understanding and the will, may be obtained in especial from the lungs and the heart, is because the lungs correspond to the truths which are of faith, and the heart to the good which is of love. Hence also it is that by the "heart" in the Word is signified the life of the will, and by the "soul" the life of faith.

That from these an idea can be formed about the truths which are of the understanding and the good which is of the will, is because all things that belong to faith and love carry with them an idea from such things as the man knows, for without an idea from what he knows and feels in himself a man cannot think; and a man thinks rightly even about the things of faith and love, when he thinks of them from correspondences, for correspondences are natural truths, in which as in mirrors, spiritual truths are represented. Wherefore, so far as the ideas of thought concerning things spiritual are formed independently of correspondences, so far they are formed either from the fallacies of the senses, or from what is inconsistent with such things. The kind of ideas a man has about what belongs to faith and love, is very manifest in the other life, for there ideas are clearly perceived.

The statement that the truths of faith bear relation to man's understanding, and the good of charity to his will, may seem not consistent to those who say and confirm themselves in the idea that the things of faith are simply to be believed, because the natural man and his understanding do not apprehend anything of this kind, and because faith is not from man, but from the Lord. Nevertheless the same persons acknowledge and believe that a man is enlightened in truths and enkindled with good when he reads the Word, and that when he is enlightened he perceives what is true and what is not true; and they also call those men enlightened who excel others in discovering truths from the Word; which shows that those who are enlightened see and perceive within themselves whether a thing is true, or is not true. That which is then inwardly enlightened is their understanding, and that which is then inwardly enkindled is their will. But if it is genuine truth of faith in which they are enlightened, and if it is genuine good of charity with which they are enkindled, then it is the understanding of the internal man that is enlightened; and the will of the internal man that is enkindled. The case is very different with those who have not the genuine truth of faith, and the genuine good of charity.

They who are in truth and good not genuine, and even they who are in falsities and evils, can indeed confirm the truths of the church, but they cannot see and perceive from within whether they are truths. Hence it is that most persons remain in the doctrinal things of the church in which they were born, and merely confirm these; and they would have confirmed themselves in the greatest heresies, such as Socinianism and Judaism, if they had been born of such parents.

From all this it is evident that the understanding is enlightened with those who are in the affection of truth from good, but not with those who are in the affection of truth from evil. With those who are in the affection of truth from good the understanding of the internal man is enlightened, and the will of the internal man is enkindled; but with those who in the affection of truth from evil the understanding of the internal man is not enlightened, neither is the will of the internal man enkindled, for the reason that they are natural men, and therefore insist that the natural man cannot apprehend the things of faith.

That with those who are in the affection of truth from good, and who consequently are interior and spiritual men, it is the understanding which is enlightened in the truths of faith, and that it is the will which is enkindled with the good of charity, is very manifest from the same persons in the other life. There they are in the understanding of all things of faith, and in the will of all things of charity, and this they also clearly perceive. Consequently they possess intelligence and wisdom unspeakable, for after putting off the body they are in that interior understanding which was enlightened in the world, and in that interior will which was there enkindled. But at that time they were not able to perceive in what manner they were enlightened and enkindled, because they then thought in the body, and from such things as belong to the world.

From all this it is now evident that the truths of faith make the life of the understanding, and the good of charity the life of the will; consequently that the understanding must needs be present in the things of faith, and the will in those of charity; or what is the same, that it is into these two faculties that the faith and charity from the Lord flow, and that these are received according to the state of these faculties, thus that the dwelling place of the Lord in man is nowhere else.

From what has been said about the internal and the external man, an idea can be formed further, that the internal man is formed according to the image of heaven, and the external man according to the image of the world; and thate nothing from heaven; and that what they see from the world about heaven is thic those in whom the internal man has not been opened sek darkness; and that therefore they can have no spiritual idea about what belongs to faith and charity. Hence also it is that they cannot even apprehend what Christian good or charity is; insomuch that they quite think that the life of heaven consists solely in the truths which they call matters of faith; and also that the life of heaven is possible with all men whatever who have the confidence of faith, even though they have not the life of faith.

How blind such people are in respect to the life of faith, which is charity, is very evident from the fact that they pay no attention whatever to the thousands of things the Lord Himself taught about the good of life; and that when they read the Word they at once cast these things behind faith's back, and thus hide them from themselves and from others. Hence also it is that they cast out from the doctrine of the church everything that belongs to good - that is, to charity and its works - into a lower doctrine, which they call moral theology, and which they regard as natural and not spiritual; when yet after death the life of charity remains, and only so much of faith as is in agreement with this life; that is to say, there remains only so much of thought about the truths of faith as there is of the will of good according to these truths.

(from Arcana Coelestia 9300)

The Lord's 'Bearing of Iniquities or Sins'

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Bearing iniquity denotes to remove falsities and evils, or sins, with those who are in good.

it is said of the Lord that He "bore sins" for the human race, has been known in the church; but still it is not known what is meant by "bearing iniquities and sins." It is believed by some that it denotes that He took on Himself the sins of the human race, and suffered Himself to be condemned even to the death of the cross; and that because the condemnation for sins was cast on Him, mortals were thus freed from damnation; and also that the damnation was taken away by the Lord through the fulfilling of the law, because the law would have condemned everyone who did not fulfil it.

But these things are not meant by "bearing iniquity," because every man's deeds remain with him after death, and according to the quality of these he is then judged either to life or to death. Their quality is from his love and his faith, for love and faith make the life of a deed; and therefore —

They cannot be taken away by transfer to another who would bear them.

From this it is evident that something else is meant by "bearing iniquities;" but what is meant can be seen from the bearing itself of iniquities or sins by the Lord. For the Lord bears them when He fights for man against the hells, because man cannot fight against these from himself; but the Lord alone does this, and indeed continually for every man, but with a difference according to his reception of the Divine good and Divine truth.

When the Lord was in the world, He fought against all the hells, and completely subjugated them. From this He also became righteousness. Thus He redeemed from damnation those who receive the Divine good and truth from Him. Unless this had been done by the Lord, no man could have been saved - for insofar as the Lord does not remove them, the hells are constantly with man, and have dominion over him, and He removes them in proportion as the man desists from evils.He who once conquers the hells, conquers them to eternity; and in order that this might be done by the Lord — He made His Human Divine.

He, who alone fights for man against the hells (or what is the same thing, against evils and falsities, for these are from the hells) is said "to bear sins," for He alone supports this burden. That by "bearing sins" is also signified the removal of evils and falsities from those who are in good, is because this is the consequence; for insofar as the hells are removed from man, so far evils and falsities are removed, because as before said both of these are from the hells. Evils and falsities are "sins" and "iniquities." 

The main work of salvation is to redeem and deliver man from the hells, and thus to remove evils and falsities. It is said to remove evils and falsities, because deliverance from sins (that is, the forgiveness of them) is nothing else than their removal; for they remain with the man; but insofar as the good of love and the truth of faith are implanted, so far the evil and falsity are removed.

The case herein is like that with heaven and hell. Heaven does not abolish hell; but removes from itself those who are there. For it is the good and truth from the Lord which make heaven; and these are what effect this removal.

The case is similar with man, who of himself is a hell; but when he is being regenerated, he becomes a heaven, and insofar as he becomes a heaven, so far hell is removed.

It is a common opinion that evils, that is, sins, are not removed in this way; but are absolutely separated. But such persons are not aware that from himself the whole man is nothing but evil, and that insofar as he is kept in good by the Lord, the evils which belong to him appear as if they were rooted out — for when a man is kept in good, he is withheld from evil. Nevertheless no one can be withheld from evil and kept in good unless he is in the good of faith and of charity from the Lord; that is, only insofar as he suffers himself to be regenerated by the Lord. For as before said, heaven is implanted in man by regeneration, and thereby the hell which is with him is removed.

From all this it can be seen again that "bearing iniquities," when said of the Lord, denotes to continually fight for man against the hells, thus continually to remove them — for there is a perpetual removing, not only while man is in the world, but also in the other life to eternity. It is impossible for any man to remove evils in this way; for from himself man cannot remove the least of evil, still less the hells, and least of all to eternity.

• The evils with man are not absolutely separated but are removed insofar as he is in this good from the Lord

• While He was in the world, the Lord conquered the hells by means of the combats of temptations, and thereby disposed all things into order — He did this from Divine love, in order to save the human race and thus He also made His Human Divine

• In temptations, which are spiritual combats against the evils which are from hell, the Lord fights for man

How the Lord while in the world bore the iniquities of the human race, that is, fought with the hells and subjugated them, and thus acquired for Himself the Divine power of removing these things with all who are in good, and thus became merit and righteousness, is described in Isaiah 59:16-20; 63:1-9. 

When these things are understood, it can be known what is signified by all that is said in the fifty-third chapter of the same prophet [Isaiah] concerning the Lord, in which from beginning to end the state of His temptations is treated of; thus the state in which He was while He fought with the hells, for temptations are nothing else than combats with these.  This state is thus described:

He bore our sicknesses, and carried our griefs; He was pierced for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; Jehovah made to fall on Him the iniquity of us all; and thus He gave the wicked to their sepulcher; the will of Jehovah shall prosper by His hand; He shall see from the labor of His soul and be sated; and by His wisdom shall justify many, because He hath borne their iniquities, and thus hath carried the sin of many (Isa. 53:4-5).

He is also called there "the Arm of Jehovah," by which is signified Divine power.

That by "bearing sicknesses," "sorrows," and "iniquities," and by "being pierced and bruised by them," is signified a state of temptations, is evident; for in such a state there are griefs of soul, distresses, and despairs, which in this way cause anguish. Such things are induced by the hells, for in temptations they assault the very love of him against whom they fight; the love of everyone being the inmost of his life. The Lord's love was the love of saving the human race, which love was the Esse of His life, for this love was the Divine in Him.

In Isaiah also, where the subject treated of is the combats of the Lord, this is described in these words:

He said, Surely they are My people, therefore He became their Savior. In all their distress He was distressed; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up, and carried them all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:8, 9).

That while He was in the world the Lord endured such temptations, is only briefly described in the Gospels, but at great length in the prophets, and especially in the Psalms of David.

In the Gospels it is only said that He was led into the wilderness, and was afterward tempted by the devil, and that He was there forty days, and was with the beasts (Mark 1:12, 13; Matt. 4:1). But that from His earliest childhood even to the end of His life in the world He was in temptations, that is, in combats with the hells, He did not reveal, in accordance with these words in Isaiah:

He was oppressed, and was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, He opened not His mouth (Isa. 53:7).

His last temptation was in Gethsemane (Matt. 26; Mark 14), and then came the passion of the cross; that He thereby fully subjugated the hells, He Himself teaches in John:

Father, rescue Me from this hour. But for this sake came I into this hour. Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice out of heaven, saying, I have glorified it and will glorify it. Then said Jesus, Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out (John 12:27, 28, 31).

"The prince of the world" is the devil, thus all hell; "to glorify" denotes to make the human Divine. The reason why mention is made only of the temptation after forty days in the wilderness, is that "forty days" signify and involve temptations to the full, thus the temptations of many years (n. 8098, 9437); "the wilderness" signifies hell, and "the beasts with which He fought there" signify the diabolical crew.

The removal of sins with those who are in good, that is, those who have practiced repentance, was represented in the Jewish Church by the he-goat called "Asasel," upon the head of which Aaron was to lay his hands, and to confess the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in respect to all their sins, and was then to send it into the wilderness, and that in this way the he-goat should bear upon him all their iniquities into a land of separation (Lev. 16:21, 22). By Aaron is here represented the Lord; by "the he-goat" is signified faith; by "the wilderness," and "the land of separation," hell; and by "bearing thither the iniquities of the sons of Israel" is signified to remove them, and cast them into hell. No one can know that such things were represented, except from the internal sense; for everyone can see that the iniquities of a whole congregation could not be borne into the wilderness by any he-goat; for what had the he-goat in common with iniquities? But as at that time all representatives signified such things as belong to the Lord, to heaven and to the church, so also did these.

The internal sense therefore teaches what these things involve, namely, that it is the truth of faith by means of which man is regenerated, consequently by means of which sins are removed; and because the faith of truth is from the Lord, it is the Lord Himself who effects this. Aaron represents the Lord; a "he-goat of the goats" denotes the truth of faith; "the wilderness" denotes hell, is because the camp in which were the sons of Israel signified heaven; therefore the wilderness is called a "land of separation," or of "cutting off." Thus by "bearing iniquities into that land," that is into the wilderness, is signified to cast evils and falsities into hell, from which they are; and they are cast thither when they are removed so as not to appear, which is effected when a man is withheld from them by being kept in good by the Lord, according to what was said above.

The like that was signified by the casting out of sins into the wilderness is signified by "casting them forth into the depths of the sea," as in Micah:

He will have compassion upon us; He will suppress our iniquities; and He will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

"The depth of the sea" also denotes hell.

From all this it is now evident that by "Aaron bearing the iniquities of the holy things," is signified the removal of sins by the Lord from those who are in good; and that their removal is continually being effected by the Lord; and that this is meant by "bearing iniquities." So also in another passage in Moses:

Jehovah said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons with thee shall hear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. The sons of Israel shall no more come nigh the Tent of meeting, to bear sin, by dying. But the Levite shall do the work of the Tent, and they shall bear their iniquity (Num. 18:1, 22, 23).

The like is meant by "bearing," in Isaiah:

Attend unto Me O house of Israel that have been carried from the womb. Even to old age I am the same, and even to hoar hairs will I carry; I have made, and I will carry; yea, I will bear, and will rescue (Isa. 46:3, 4).

That "bearing iniquity" denotes to expiate, thus to remove sins, is evident in Moses:

Moses was indignant with Eleazar and with Ithamar because the he-goat of the sacrifice of sin had been burnt, saying, Wherefore did ye not eat it in the place of holiness, seeing that Jehovah hath given it you to bear the iniquities of the congregation, to expiate them before Jehovah (Lev. 10:16, 17)?

(from Arcana Coelestia 9937)

Seeing the Face of God

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

No man hath ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18).

Ye have never heard the voice of the Father, nor seen His shape (John 5:37).

No man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whom the Son willeth to reveal Him (Matt. 11:27).

When Jehovah the Father has been seen, it is the Lord who has been seen, the Lord also teaches in John:

Jesus said, If ye have known Me, ye have known My Father also; and from henceforth ye have known Him, and have seen Him. Philip said, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus said unto him, Am I so long time with you, and hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; how then sayest thou, Show us the Father? (John 14:7, 8).

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56, 58).

From this it can be seen that the Lord as to the Divine Human is Jehovah who is seen, and thus that He is the "face of Jehovah."

That the Lord is the "face of Jehovah" is also evident from the Word, as in these passages:

He became their Savior; the angel of the faces of Jehovah delivered them, in His love and in His gentleness; He redeemed them, and He took them, and carried them all the days of eternity (Isa. 63:8, 9).

Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee to the place which I have prepared. Take heed of his face, provoke him not; for he will not bear your transgression; because My name is in the midst of him (Exod. 23:20, 21).

For when Jehovah appeared before the coming of the Lord into the world, He appeared in the form of an angel, because when He passed through heaven He clothed Himself with this form, which is the human form. For from the Divine there, the universal heaven is like one man, as has been abundantly shown in treating of the Grand Man, which is heaven; and from this at that time was the Divine Human; and as Jehovah appeared in the human form as an angel, it is evident that nevertheless it was Jehovah Himself, and that that very form also was His, because it was His Divine in heaven. This was the Lord from eternity. But as that human form was assumed by passing through heaven, and yet in order to save the human race it was necessary to be really and essentially a man, it therefore pleased Him to be born, and thereby actually to assume the human form, in which was Jehovah Himself. That this is so, the Lord teaches in John:

Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:11).

I and the Father are one. (John 10:30).

That the Lord was from eternity, He also teaches in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All thing were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 3, 14).

I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world, and go unto the Father (John 16:28).

Jesus said, Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:5).

Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58).

From these passages it can be clearly known that the Lord is Jehovah even as to His Human, thus that His Human is Divine. For this reason it is said in John, "God was the Word, and the Word was made flesh;" and also, "Before Abraham was, I am" - not, "I was" - for the "I am" is Jehovah (Exod. 3:14).

From all this it can now be seen that by "a man doth not see Me and live," is signified that the Divine Itself cannot be seen such as it is in itself, but such as it is through the Lord in heaven. It is said "through the Lord in heaven," because the Lord is above the heavens, for He is the sun of heaven; but still He is present in the heavens, being the Divine truth there, and the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun, is the Lord in heaven; wherefore the Divine truth there is His "face."

It was said above that by "the faces of Jehovah" are signified the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship. The reason is that the interior Divine things of the Word, of the church, and of worship are the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus are the Lord in heaven. This is signified by the "face of Jehovah," where it is mentioned in the Word, as in these passages:

See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that their angels in the heavens do always see the face of My Father who is in the heavens (Matt. 18:10).

The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the holy Jerusalem; and His servants shall minister to Him. And they shall see His faces (Rev. 22:3, 4).

Jehovah shall make His faces to shine upon thee, and shall have pity on thee; Jehovah shall lift up His faces upon thee, and shall give thee peace (Num. 6:25, 26).

Many there be that say, Who will show us good? O Jehovah lift Thou up the light of Thy faces upon us (Ps. 4:6).

O Jehovah, how long wilt Thou hide Thy faces from me? (Ps. 13:1).

To thee said my heart, Seek ye My faces, Thy faces O Jehovah I seek (Ps. 27:8).

God will be merciful unto us, and bless us, and will cause His faces to shine upon us (Ps. 67:1).

Bring us back, O God, and cause Thy faces to shine, that we may be saved (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19).

Blessed is Thy people who walk in the light of Thy faces (Ps. 89:15).

O Jehovah hide not Thy faces from me (Ps. 102:1, 2).

Thou hidest Thy faces, they are troubled (Ps. 104:29).

Everyone can comprehend what is here meant by "the faces of Jehovah," namely, the Divine, and whatever belongs to the Divine, thus mercy, peace, and all good; but in the universal sense the Divine truth, because all good is in the Divine truth. Both with man and with angel the Divine good is in the Divine truth, and without the latter there is not the former; for truth is the recipient of good, thus also of mercy and peace. From this then it follows that where Divine good is not in Divine truth, there the face of Jehovah is not; and it also follows that where there is evil in falsity, the Divine does not appear. This is meant by Jehovah "hiding and turning away His faces" in the following passages:

Your sins have hidden the faces of Jehovah from you (Isa. 59:2).

For their wickedness I have hid My faces from this city (Jer. 33:5).

I do turn away My faces from them, and they profane My secret (Ezek. 7:22).

Jehovah will hide His faces from them, according as they have rendered in their works evil (Micah 3:4).

But be it known that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, never turns away His faces from man; but that the man who is in evil turns away his face from the Lord. And as the Divine is then behind him, it appears as if this hides or turns itself away. Moreover, it is an actual fact that all infernal spirits turn their backs to the Lord as a sun, whereas the angels always turn their faces to Him. It is the same with a man, in respect to his spirit, during his life in the world.

(from Arcana Coelestia 10579)

Those Who Force Truths to Favor One's Loves

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

A "he-goat of the goats" s. natural truths, that is, truths of the external man from which are the delights of life; and as also being external truths derived from delights, of which hereafter. The truths of the external man, from which are the delights of life, are Divine truths such as those of the literal sense of the Word, from which truths the doctrinals of a genuine church are derived; these truths are properly signified by a "he-goat" and the delights from them are signified by "goats;" thus by a "he-goat of the goats" in the genuine sense, are signified those who are in such truths and in delights therefrom. In the opposite sense however, by a "he-goat of the goats" are signified those who are in external truths (that is, in appearances of truth derived from the sense of the letter) which are in agreement with the delights of their life, such as the delights of the body, which in general are called pleasures, and the delights of the lower mind, which in general are honors and gains. Such persons are signified by a "he-goat of the goats" in the opposite sense. In a word, by a "he-goat of the goats" in this sense are signified those who are in faith separate from charity, for these select from the Word those truths only which are in agreement with the delights of their life, that is, which favor the loves of self and the world. The other truths they bring into conformity by interpretations, and thereby present falsities as appearances of truth.

A "he-goat of the goats" signifies those who are in faith separate, is evident from Daniel:

Behold a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the faces of the whole earth, and touched not the earth; and the he-goat had a horn of aspect between his eyes. Out of one of the four horns came forth a little horn, and it grew exceedingly toward the south, and toward the east, and toward comeliness. Yea it grew even to the army of the heavens; and some of the army and of the stars it cast down to the earth, and trampled upon them; and it cast down truth unto the earth (Dan. 8:5, 9-10, 12);

the subject here treated of is the state of the church in general, not only the state of the Jewish Church, but also that of the following, which is the Christian Church; for the Word of the Lord is universal.  The "he-goat of the goats" in respect to the Jewish Church, signifies those who made nothing of internal truths, but accepted external truths so far as they favored their loves, which were that they might be the greatest and the wealthiest. For this reason they recognized the Christ or Messiah whom they were expecting, simply as a king, who would exalt them above all the nations and peoples in the whole world, and would make these subject to them as vilest slaves; this was the source of their love for Him. They did not at all know what love toward the neighbor was, except that it was conjunction by participation in such honor, and through gain.

But the "he-goat of the goats" in respect to the Christian Church signifies those who are in external truths from delights, that is, who are in faith separate; for these also care nothing for internal truths, and if they teach them it is only that they may thereby win reputation, be exalted to honors, and acquire gain. These are the delights which are in their hearts while truths are in their mouth. Moreover, by wrong interpretations they force the truths which are of genuine faith to favor their loves. Hence it is evident what is signified in the internal sense by the above words in Daniel - namely, that by a "he-goat of the goats" are signified those who are in faith separate.

The he-goat's coming from the west denotes from evil. His coming over the face of the whole earth, not touching the earth, denotes that he came over the whole church; for by the "earth" in the Word nothing else is meant than the land where the church is, thus the church. The "horns" which he had are powers from falsity. The "horn of aspect between the eyes" is power from reasoning about the truths of faith. The "one horn which grew toward the south, the east, and comeliness" is power from faith separate growing even toward those things which are states of the light of heaven, and states of good and truth. That the "south" is a state of light, and that the "east" is a state of good; that "comeliness" is a state of truth is evident from the Word here and there. Its "growing even to the army of the heavens, and casting down to the earth some of the army and of the stars, and trampling upon them" denotes that it did so with the knowledges of good and truth.  From this is known what is meant by "casting down truth unto the earth" namely, the casting down of real faith, which in itself is charity; for faith has regard to charity, because it proceeds from charity. That which in the Ancient Church was called truth, in the new church is called faith .

The "he-goat" has a similar signification in Ezekiel:

Behold I judge between small cattle and small cattle, between the rams and the he-goats. Is it a small thing to you that ye eat up the good pasture, and trample with your feet the residue of your pastures? Ye drink the settling of the waters, the remains ye disturb with your feet; ye strike with your horns all the infirm till ye have scattered them abroad (Ezek. 34:17-18, 21);

in this passage also by "he-goats" are signified those who are in faith separate, that is, who set doctrine before life, and at last have no care about life; when yet life, and not doctrine separate, makes the man; and the life remains after death, but not doctrine except insofar as it partakes of the life. Of these it is said that they "eat up the good pasture, and trample with their feet the residue of the pastures;" and that they "drink the settling of the waters, and disturb the remains with their feet;" also that they "strike the infirm with their horns till they have scattered them."

From all this it is now evident who are meant by the "he-goats" and who by the "sheep" of whom the Lord speaks in Matthew:

Before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the he-goats; and He shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the he-goats on the left, etc. (Matt. 25:32-33);

that the "sheep" are they who are in charity and thence in the truths of faith, and that the "he-goats" are they who are in no charity, although in the truths of faith, that is, who are in faith separate, is clear from the particulars, in which such persons are described.

Who and of what quality are those who are in faith separate and are meant by "he-goats" may be seen from the two following passages:

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens; but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons, and in Thy name done many mighty works? And then will I confess unto them, I know you not; depart from Me ye workers of iniquity (Matt. 7:19-23).

And in Luke:

Then will ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; but He shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are. Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk before Thee, 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 13:25-27).

These are they who are in faith separate, and are called "he-goats." But what "he-goats" signify in a good sense - as those used in sacrifices and occasionally mentioned in the prophets - will of the Lord's Divine mercy be told elsewhere.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4769)

The Divine Truth Concerning the Lord's Divine Human

Selections from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

How greatly they are deluded who remain in the sense of the letter alone, and do not search out the internal sense from other passages in the Word in which it is explained, is very evident from the many heresies, every one of which proves its dogmas from the literal sense of the Word; especially is this manifest from that great heresy which the insane and infernal love of self and the world has drawn from the Lord's words to Peter:

I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matthew 16:15-19).

They who press the sense of the letter think that these things were said of Peter, and that power so great was given him; although they are fully aware that Peter was a very simple man, and that he by no means exercised such power; and that to exercise it is contrary to the Divine. Nevertheless, as owing to the insane and infernal love of self and the world they desire to arrogate to themselves the highest power on earth and in heaven, and to make themselves gods, they explain this according to the letter, and vehemently defend it; whereas the internal sense of these words is, that Faith itself in the Lord, which exists solely with those who are in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor, has that power; and yet not faith, but the Lord from whom faith is.

By "Peter" there is meant that faith, as everywhere else in the Word. Upon this is the Church built, and against it the gates of hell do not prevail. This faith has the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and it shuts heaven lest evils and falsities should enter in, and opens heaven for goods and truths. This is the internal sense of these words.

The twelve apostles, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represented nothing else than all the things of such faith. Peter represented faith itself, James charity, and John the goods of charity; in like manner as did Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, the firstborn sons of Jacob, in the representative Jewish and Israelitish Church, which is plain from a thousand passages in the Word. And as Peter represented faith, the words in question were said to him. From this it is manifest into what darkness those cast themselves, and others with them, who explain all things according to the letter; as those who so explain these words to Peter, by which they derogate from the Lord and arrogate to themselves the power of saving the human race.

(from Arcana Coelestia 2759)

----

(The literal sense of the Word - The internal sense of the Word)

... the Lord says that He "will come in the clouds of the heavens, with power and glory" (Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27)

Hitherto no one has known what is meant by the "clouds of the heavens." But it has been disclosed to me that nothing else is meant than the literal sense of the Word; and by "power and glory" the internal sense of the Word, for in the internal sense of the Word there is glory, since whatever is there is concerning the Lord and His kingdom 

Similar is the signification of the "cloud" which encompassed Peter, James, and John, when the Lord appeared to them in glory; of which it is said in Luke:

A voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him; but when the voice had passed, Jesus was found alone (Luke 9:35-36),

where by "Moses and Elias," who spoke with the Lord, was represented the Word of the Old Testament, which is also called "Moses and the Prophets" (by "Moses," his books together with the other historical books, and by "Elias" the prophet, all the books of the Prophets); but by "Peter, James, and John," as in all other places where they are named in the books of the Evangelists, were represented faith, charity, and the good of charity. That they only were present signifies that no others can see the glory of the Lord, which is in His Word than those who are in faith, in its charity, and in the good of charity. Others are indeed able to see, but still do not see, because they do not believe. This is the internal sense in regard to the foregoing two passages; and in various places in the Prophets also, a "cloud" signifies the Word in its letter, and "glory" the Word in its life.

... It was those skilled in the Law in the Lord's time who least of all believed that there was anything written in the Word concerning the Lord. At the present day, those skilled in the Law know indeed, but it may be that they will believe least of all that there is any other glory in the Word than that which appears in the letter; when yet this is the cloud in which is the glory.

From this it is manifest into what darkness those cast themselves, and others with them, who explain all things according to the letter; as those who so explain these words to Peter, by which they derogate from the Lord and arrogate to themselves the power of saving the human race.

(from Arcana Coelestia 2135)

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(The Papal Sway)

The Divine truth concerning the Lord's Divine Human

Be it known that the Ancient Church acknowledged it - [the Divine truth concerning the Lord's Divine Human] and also the primitive Christian Church; but after the papal sway had grown even to domination over all human souls, and had exalted itself - as is said of the King of Babylon in Isaiah,

Thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, and I will sit in the mount of congregation, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will become like the Most High (Isa. 14:13-14)

then the Divine was taken away from the Lord's Human, that is, a distinction was then made between His Divine and His Human.

How this was decreed in a certain council has also been revealed to me.

There appeared to me certain spirits in front to the left on the plane of the sole of the foot, at some distance from me, who were talking together, but about what I did not hear. I was then told that they were some of those who composed the council in which the decree was made regarding the Lord's two natures, the Divine and the human. Presently it was granted me to converse with them. They said that those who had the greatest influence in the council, and who were superior to the rest in rank and authority, came together in a dark room and there concluded that both a Divine and a human nature should be attributed to the Lord; chiefly for the reason that otherwise the papal sway could not be maintained. For if they had acknowledged the Lord to be one with the Father, as He Himself says, no one could have been acknowledged as His vicar on earth; for schisms were arising at that time by which the papal power might have fallen and been dissipated unless they had made this distinction; and for the strengthening of this invention they sought out confirmations from the Word, and persuaded the rest.

The spirits added that by this means they were able to rule in heaven and on earth, because they had it from the Word that to the Lord was given all power in heaven and on earth, which power could not have been attributed to any vicar if His Human also were acknowledged to be Divine; for they knew that no one was allowed to make himself equal to God, and that the Divine had this power of Itself, but not the Human, unless it had been given it, as it was afterwards to Peter. They continued, that the schismatics of that day were men of acute discernment, whom in this way they were able to quiet, and by this means the papal power was also confirmed.

From all this it is evident that this distinction was invented merely for the sake of dominion; and that for this reason they were not willing to know that the power given to the Lord's Human in heaven and on earth shows that it also is Divine. That Peter, to whom the Lord gave the keys of heaven, does not mean Peter, but the faith of charity, which, because it is from the Lord alone, is the power of the Lord alone.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4738)

The Cause of Wrath and Anger

Selection from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Everyone burns with wrath and is angered when his love and the delight of his love are assaulted, this being the cause of all wrath and anger; also for the reason that the love of everyone is his life, consequently to hurt the love is to hurt the life, and this being hurt causes commotion of mind, and thence anger and wrath.

It is similar with the good when their love is assaulted, but with the difference that they have, not wrath or anger, but zeal. This zeal indeed is called anger in the Word, but still it is not anger; it is called anger because it appears in external form like anger, but inwardly it is nothing but charity, goodness, and clemency, consequently zeal does not, like anger, continue after the one towards whom it was kindled repents and turns away from evil.

Anger with the evil is different - for it inwardly conceals in itself hatred and revenge, which the evil love, therefore it persists and is rarely extinguished. This is why anger belongs to those who are in the loves of self and of the world, for they are in evils of every kind; while zeal belongs to those who are in love to the Lord and in love towards the neighbor. Therefore zeal looks to the salvation of man, but anger to his damnation; this also is in the purpose of the evil who are angered, but salvation is in the purpose of the good who are zealous.

And the nations were angered; and Thy anger is come, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to Thy* servants, the prophets and the saints, and to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy them that destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18)

"The nations were angered" signifies here the contempt, enmity, and hatred of the evil against the Lord and against the Divine things that are from Him, thus against the holy things of heaven and the church, because at the end of the church, a little before the Last Judgment, which is here treated of, there is a change of state with those who were in the former heaven and former earth, which is effected by the separation of the good from the evil, and when this has been effected, the externals of the evil by and from which they uttered what is true and did what is good from pretense and hypocrisy, are closed up, and the internals which in them are infernal are opened, and when these have been opened contempt, hostility, and hatred openly break forth with contumelies against the Lord and against the holy things of heaven and the church - for with them these things have lain stored up and covered over by the loves of self and the world, and these loves are such that they can do good and speak truths for the sake of self and of the world, because the holy things of heaven and the church serve them as means to ends, which are reputation, glory, honor, and gain, in a word, self and the world, and the means are loved for the sake of the ends. But since with such the end, which is of man's love and thus of his intention and will, is corporeal and worldly, and consequently infernal, therefore the goods and truths that belong to heaven and the church with them do not abide in their internals, but only in their externals, because in these are evils and falsities. The goods and truths of heaven penetrate into the internals only with such as make the holy things of heaven and the church their ends, that is, make them to be of their love, and thence of their intention and will; when these are made ends, then the spiritual mind is opened, and through this man is led by the Lord. But it is the exact opposite when the goods and truths of heaven and the church are not made ends, but means; for, as has just been said, ends belong to the ruling love of man, and when this is love of self it is also love of his own [proprium], and this regarded in itself is nothing but evil, and so far as man acts from it he acts from hell, and thus against the Divine.

Furthermore, it is to be known that in all evil there is anger against the Lord and against the holy things of the church. That this is so has been made clearly evident to me from the hells, in which all are in evils, and from which are all evils - for there when they merely hear the Lord named they become inflamed with vehement anger, not only against Him but also against all who confess Him. Thence it is that hell is the diametrical opposite of heaven, and is in the perpetual effort to destroy heaven, and to extinguish the Divine things therein, which are the goods of love and the truths of faith. This shows why evils are angry with goods, and falsities of evil with truths; this is why "anger" in the Word signifies evil in the whole complex.

It is similar in the following passages.

In Luke:

Jesus said, Woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days; for there shall be great distress upon the land, and anger with the people (Luke 21:23).

This is said of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church. That then good and truth cannot be received is signified by "Woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck." The rejection of good because of the evil that will then rule in the church, and of truth because of falsity, is signified by "for there shall be great distress upon the land, and anger with the people," "distress" here means the ruling evil, and "anger" the ruling falsity from evil, for at the end of the church the evil are distressed by good and angered by truth.

In Isaiah:

Only in Jehovah is righteousness and strength; unto Him shall they come, and all that were incensed against Him shall be ashamed (Isa. 45:24).

"All that were incensed against Jehovah shall be ashamed" signifies that all who are in evils and falsities will desist from them, "to be incensed against Jehovah" signifying to be in falsities from evil.

In Moses:

Simeon and Levi are brethren; In their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they hocked an ox; cursed be their anger for it is fierce, and their wrath for it is hard; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 49:5-7).

"Reuben, Simeon, and Levi" signify faith, charity, and the works of charity; but here "Reuben" signifies faith separated from charity, from which comes neither charity nor any work of charity; for these three cohere together; such as the faith is such is the charity, and such as the charity is such are the works of charity; thus they are inseparable, each one belongs to the other, and is as the other. Because Reuben, on account of his adultery with the handmaid, his father's concubine, was accursed, Simeon and Levi also were rejected; their rejection is signified by "I have divided them in Jacob and scattered them in Israel." Now because faith, which was represented by "Reuben," was not to be accepted as the first principle of the church, but spiritual good, which is truth in the understanding and will, therefore Joseph was accepted as the firstborn of the church in the place of Reuben, for "Joseph" represented spiritual good, which in its essence is truth in the understanding and will. Thence it may be clear what is signified by "the anger of Simeon and Levi that it was fierce, and their wrath that it was hard," namely, the turning away from good and truth, thus evil and falsity in the whole complex; for when charity departs from faith there is no more any good nor any truth.

In Matthew:

Jesus said, It was said to them of old, Whosoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment; but I say unto you, Whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment (Matt. 5:21, 22).

"To be angry with his brother without cause" here also signifies enmity and hatred against good and truth. Those also that have such enmity and such hatred do kill continually in mind, intention and will, and would kill actually if it were permitted, that is, if they were not hindered by the laws and the consequent fear of punishment and loss of life or of reputation, honor, or gain; for what a man cherishes in his mind, that he does when it is permissible. "He who is angry with his brother without cause is liable to the judgment," the same as he who kills, because "to be angry" signifies to think, to intend, and to will evil to another, and all evil of the will is in the life of man's spirit and returns after death, and this is why he is then "liable to the judgment," for what belongs to the intention and will is judged like deeds. But it is unnecessary to cite more passages to show what "anger" and "wrath" signify in the case of those who are in evil, for it is self-evident that every evil conceals in itself anger against good, since it wills to extinguish the good, and even to kill him in whom good is, if not as to the body, still they do as to the soul, and this certainly comes from anger and is accompanied by anger.

(from Apocalypse Explained 693)

The Doctrine of Faith Separated from the Life

Selection from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Matthew 23:25. 26)

The destruction of the church, which is altogether destroyed
as its truths are turned into falsities and its goods into evils.

That the doctrine of faith separated from the life does this can be seen from the fact — that the doctrine of faith is the doctrine of the church, and the doctrine of life, which is called moral theology, is an outside doctrine, that is, serviceable to the church at its pleasure, but is regarded as having nothing of salvation in it because it has nothing of faith in it; yet faith when separated from life is not alive, and what is not alive, but is dead, can save no one.

It is supposed that man from the doctrine of faith separate is able to believe that there is a God, that there is a heaven and a hell, that there is a life after death, that the Word is Divine, and therefore that what the Word contains is to be believed. These things man can indeed know and can think, and can even in some degree understand from the light of reason, and yet he cannot have such a faith in them as will remain long after death — for the faith that is of the life remains, but not faith separated from the life; and everyone has life to the extent that he abstains from evils, and shuns and turns away from them because they are contrary to the Word, thus contrary to the Lord.

Faith from such a life awaits a man after death, because it is from the Lord, and thus is the Lord's with man.

Thence it is clear that from faith alone man cannot even believe that there is a God; how then can he believe the rest?

From this it follows that the doctrine of faith separated destroys the church in respect to all its goods and truths. That this is so has been made abundantly evident to me from the state of such persons after death with whom I have talked. The followers and defenders of faith separate, who have cleansed the outside only of the cup and the platter and not the inside, when they have fulfilled their time reject all things they have said and believed in the world to be of their faith; and they acknowledge as gods either themselves or others who excel in power and in the arts known in hell; and they even laugh at the truths of the Word which in the world they had called holy.

(from Apocalypse Explained 796)

Who then can be saved?

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? (Matthew 19:16-25)

From Exodus 21:4-6: -

If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

I will not go out free. That this signifies the delight of obedience, is evident from the signification of "going out free," as being the state after combat, which is merely a state of confirmed and implanted truth; for the service, which was of six years, and is called "a week" in Genesis 29:27, 28, signifies labor or some combat, such as those have who are in truths and not in the corresponding good, and who in the spiritual sense are meant by the "Hebrew menservants." These are of such a nature that they cannot be regenerated, but only reformed.

For to be regenerated is said of those who suffer themselves to be brought by the Lord, by means of the truths called the truths of faith, to the good of spiritual life; but to be reformed is said of those who cannot be brought to the good of spiritual life by means of the truths which are of faith; but only to the delight of natural life.

They who suffer themselves to be regenerated, act from affection according to the precepts of faith; but they who do not suffer themselves to be regenerated, but only to be reformed, do not act from affection, but from obedience.

The difference is this —

They who act from affection, act from the heart, and thus from freedom, and they also do truth for the sake of truth, and good for the sake of good, and thus they exercise charity for the sake of the neighbor; but they who act from obedience do not thus act from the heart, consequently not from freedom. If they seem to themselves to act from the heart and from freedom, it is for the sake of something of self-glory which causes it to be so perceived; and they do not do truth for the sake of truth, nor good for the sake of good, but for the sake of the delight arising from this glory. Thus they do not practice charity toward the neighbor for the sake of the neighbor, but in order to be seen, and in order to be recompensed.

From this it is evident who and of what quality are they who are represented by the sons of Israel, and who and of what quality are they who are represented by the Hebrew menservants.

But within the church at this day the knowledge of this distinction has been lost. The reason is that the church at this day is proclaimed and said to be from faith and not from charity; and few know what faith is.

Most persons believing that faith consists in knowing those things which the doctrine of the church teaches, and in being persuaded that they are true; but not that it consists in living according to them. Life according to them they call "moral life," which they separate from the doctrine of the church, and entitle it Moral Theology.

But the learned believe that faith is confidence or trust that they are saved by the Lord's having suffered for them, and redeemed them from hell; and they say that those are saved who have this confidence; thus by faith alone. But such persons do not consider that there cannot be the confidence of faith, except with those who live a life of charity

These are the reasons why knowledge has been lost concerning the difference between those who are in truths of faith and not in the corresponding good of life, and those who are in good of life corresponding with the truths of faith.  Because this knowledge has been lost, what has now been said about those who are in truths and not in good, who are signified by "the Hebrew menservants," cannot but appear strange.

(from Arcana Coelestia 8987)

Damnation, Reformation, Regeneration

Selection from Divine Providence ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

No one can come into the kingdom of God unless he has been born again, for the reason that man by inheritance from his parents is born into evils of every kind, but with an ability to become spiritual by the removal of those evils; and unless he becomes spiritual he cannot come into heaven.

F From being natural to become spiritual is to be born again or regenerated. E

But to know how man is regenerated these three things must be considered:

• what his first state is, which is a state of damnation
• what his second state is, which is a state of reformation
  
• what his third state is, which is a state of regeneration

Man's first state, which is a state of damnation, every one has by inheritance from his parents; for man is thereby born into the love of self and love of the world, and from these as fountains, into evils of every kind. It is by the enjoyments of these loves that he is led; and these enjoyments cause him not to know that he is in evils; for no enjoyment of a love is felt otherwise than as a good: consequently unless a man is regenerated he knows no otherwise than that to love himself and the world above all things is goodness itself; and to rule over all, and to possess the wealth of all, is the highest good. Moreover, this is the source of all evil; for a man then from love looks to no one but himself; or if from love he looks to another, it is as a devil looks to a devil, or a thief to a thief, when they act together.

Those who, from the enjoyment of these loves confirm in themselves these loves and the evils flowing from them, remain natural and become corporeal-sensual, and in their own thought, which is the thought of their spirit, are insane. Nevertheless, while they remain in the world they are able to speak and act rationally and wisely, because they are men, and in consequence possess rationality and liberty; but even this they do from love of self and the world. After death, when they become spirits, they are incapable of any other enjoyment than that which they had in spirit while in the world; and that enjoyment is the enjoyment of infernal love, which is then turned into what is undelightful, painful, and terrible; and this is what is meant in the Word by torment and hell-fire. All this makes clear that man's first state is a state of damnation, and that those are in it who do not permit themselves to be regenerated.

Man's second state, which is the state of reformation, is that in which he begins to think about heaven with reference to the joy of heaven, and from this about God, who is to him the source of heavenly joy. But at first this thought springs from the enjoyment of love of self, which enjoyment is to him heavenly joy. And as long as the enjoyment of that love reigns, together with the enjoyments of the evils that flow from it, he must needs think that he draws near to heaven by pouring out prayers, listening to preaching, going to the Holy Supper, giving to the poor, helping the needy, spending money on churches, contributing to hospitals, and so on. A man in this state knows no otherwise than that he is saved by mere thought about those things which religion teaches, whether it be what is called faith, or what is called faith and charity. He has no other idea than that he is saved by so thinking, because he gives no thought to the evils that he finds enjoyment in, and as long as their enjoyments remain the evils remain. The enjoyments of evil are from lust for them that continually inspires them, and also when no fear prevents, brings them forth.

So long as evils continue in the lusts of their love, and the consequent enjoyments, there is no faith, charity, piety or worship except in mere externals, which to the world seem real, and yet are not. These may be compared to water issuing from an impure fountain, which no one can drink. Man continues in the first state as long as he thinks from religion about heaven and about God, and yet gives no thought to evils as sins; but he comes into the second state, or the state of reformation, when he begins to think that there is such a thing as sin; and still more when he thinks that this or that is a sin, and when he examines it in himself to some extent, and refrains from willing it.

Man's third state, which is a state of regeneration, takes up and continues the former state. It begins when man refrains from evils as sins, and it progresses as he shuns them, and is perfected as he fights against them; and as he from the Lord conquers them he is regenerated.

With one who is regenerated the order of life is reversed; from being natural he becomes spiritual; for when the natural is separated from the spiritual it is contrary to order, while the spiritual is in accordance with order.

Consequently the regenerate man acts from charity; and whatever belongs to his charity he makes to be of his faith also. Yet he becomes spiritual only so far as he is in truths; for man is regenerated only by means of truths and a life in accordance with them; for by means of truths he knows what life is, and by means of the life he does the truths, and thus he conjoins good and truth, which is the spiritual marriage in which heaven is.

(Divine Providence 83)

'Seeing' the Well of Water

Selections from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water . . . (Genesis 21:19)

That this signifies the Lord's Word from which are truths, is evident from the signification of a "well of water," and of a "fountain," as being the Word, and also doctrine from the Word, consequently also truth itself; and from the signification of "water," as being truth.

That a "well in which there is water," and a "fountain," denote the Lord's Word, and also doctrine from the Word, consequently also truth itself, may be seen from very many passages. A "well," and not a "fountain," is spoken of here, because the spiritual church is treated of, as also in the following verses of this chapter:

Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well which the servants of Abimelech had taken away (Gen. 22:25).

So too in the twenty-sixth chapter:

All the wells which the servants of Isaac's father digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped up. And Isaac returned, and digged the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, and the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of living water. And they digged another well, and for that they strove not. And it came to pass in that day that Isaac's servants came and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water (Gen. 26:15, 18-20, 21-22, 25, 32).

Here by "wells" nothing else is signified than doctrinal matters about which they contended, and those about which they did not contend. Otherwise their digging wells and contending so many times about them would not be of so much importance as to be worthy of mention in the Divine Word.

The "well" spoken of by Moses signifies in like manner the Word, or doctrine:

They journeyed to Beer; this is the well whereof Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then sang Israel this song: Spring up, O well; answer ye from it. The princes digged the well, the willing of the people digged it, in the lawgiver, with their staves (Num. 21:16-18).

As a "well" signified these things, there was therefore this prophetic song in Israel, in which the doctrine of truth is treated of, as is evident from every particular in the internal sense. Hence came the name "Beer" [a well], and hence the name "Beersheba," and its signification in the internal sense, as being doctrine itself.

But doctrine in which there are no truths is called a "pit," or a "well in which there is no water" as in Jeremiah:

Their nobles have sent their little ones to the water; they came to the pits, they found no water; they returned with their vessels empty (Jer. 14:3);

where "waters" denote truths; and "pits where they found no water," doctrine in which there is no truth. In the same:

My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, to hew them out pits, broken pits, that can hold no waters (Jer. 2:13);

where "pits" in like manner denote doctrines that are not true; and "broken pits," fabricated doctrines.

That a "fountain" is the Word, and also doctrine, consequently truth, may be seen in Isaiah:

The afflicted and the needy seek waters, and there are none; their tongue faileth for thirst. I Jehovah will hear them, the God of Israel will not forsake them; I will open rivers upon the hillsides, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of waters, and the dry land springs of waters (Isa. 41:17-18);

where the desolation of truth is treated of, which is signified by the afflicted and needy seeking for waters when there are none, and by their tongue failing for thirst; and then their consolation, refreshment, and instruction after desolation are treated of (as in the verses about Hagar now being explained), signified by Jehovah opening rivers upon the hillsides, making fountains in the midst of the valleys, and the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters; all which things relate to the doctrine of truth, and to the affection thence derived.

In Moses:

Israel dwelt securely alone at the fountain of Jacob, in a land of corn and new wine; yea, his heavens drop down dew (Deut. 33:28).

The "fountain of Jacob" denotes the Word and the doctrine of truth therefrom. Because the "fountain of Jacob" signified the Word and the doctrine of truth therefrom, when the Lord came to the fountain of Jacob, He spoke with the woman of Samaria, and taught what is signified by a "fountain" and by "water," as described in John:

Jesus came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, and Jacob's fountain was there; Jesus therefore being wearied with His journey, sat thus by the fountain. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink: Jesus said, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldst ask of Him that He should give thee living water. Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life (John 4:5-7, 10, 13-14).

As "Jacob's fountain" signified the Word, the "water" truth, and " Samaria" the spiritual church (as is frequently the case in the Word), the Lord spoke with the woman of Samaria, and taught that the doctrine of truth is from Him; and that when it is from Him, or what is the same, from His Word, it is a fountain of water springing up unto eternal life; and that truth itself is living water.

Again:

Jesus said, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink; whosoever believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:37-38).

And in the same:

The Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Rev. 7:17).

In the same:

I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely (Rev. 21:6);

"rivers of living water," and "living fountains of waters," denote truths that are from the Lord, or from His Word; for the Lord is the Word. The good of love and of charity, which is solely from the Lord, is the life of truth. He is said to be "athirst" who is in the love and affection of truth; no other can "thirst."

These truths are also called "fountains of salvation"

in Isaiah:

With joy shall ye draw waters out of the fountains of salvation; and in that day shall ye say, Confess to Jehovah, call upon His name (Isa. 12:3-4).

That a "fountain" is the Word, or doctrine from it, is plain also in Joel:

It shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah, and shall water the stream of Shittim (Joel 3:18);

where "waters" denote truths; and a "fountain out of the house of Jehovah," the Lord's Word.

In Jeremiah:

Behold I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the sides of the earth; and among them the blind and the lame; they shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I bring them unto fountains of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble (Jer. 31:8-9);

"fountains of waters in a straight way" manifestly denote the doctrinal things of truth; the "north country," ignorance or desolation of truth; "weeping" and "supplications," their state of grief and despair; and to be "brought to the fountains of waters," refreshment and instruction in truths (as here, where Hagar and her son are treated of).

The same things are also thus described in Isaiah:

The wilderness and the parched land shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; budding it shall bud, and shall rejoice even with rejoicing and singing; the glory of Lebanon has been given unto it, the honor of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of Jehovah, the honor of our God. Make ye firm the enfeebled hands, and strengthen the tottering knees. The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert; and the dry place shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of waters (Isa. 35:1-3, 5-7);

where the "wilderness" denotes the desolation of truth; "waters," "streams," "lakes," and "springs of waters," the truths that are a refreshment and joy to those who have been in vastation, whose joys are there described with many words.

In David:

Jehovah sendeth forth fountains into the valleys, they shall run among the mountains; they shall give drink to every wild beast of the field, the wild asses shall quench their thirst. He watereth the mountains from His chambers (Ps. 104:10-11, 13);

"fountains" denote truths; "mountains," the love of good and truth; to "give drink," instructing; "wild beasts of the field," those who live from this; "wild asses," those who are solely in rational truth.

In Moses:

Joseph is the son of a fruitful one, the son of a fruitful one by a fountain (Gen. 49:22)

a "fountain" denotes doctrine from the Lord. In the same:

Jehovah thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of rivers, of waters, of fountains, and of depths going forth in valley and in mountain (Deut. 8:7)

the "land" denotes the Lord's kingdom and church; which is called "good" from the good of love and charity; "rivers," "waters," "fountains," and "depths," denote the truths thence derived.

In the same:

The land of Canaan, a land of mountains and valleys, that drinketh water of the rain of heaven (Deut. 11:11).

That "waters" are truths, both spiritual and rational, and also those of memory-knowledge, is manifest from these passages in Isaiah:

Behold the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the whole staff of bread, and the whole staff of water (Isa. 3:1).

In the same:

Bring ye waters to him that is thirsty; meet the fugitive with his bread (Isa. 21:14).

In the same:

Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters (Isa. 32:20).

In the same:

He that walketh in righteousnesses, and speaketh uprightnesses, shall dwell on high; his bread shall be given, his waters shall be faithful (Isa. 33:15, 16).

In the same:

Then shall they not thirst, He shall lead them in the desert, He shall cause the waters to flow out of the rock for them; He cleaveth the rock also, and the waters flow out (Isa. 48:21; Exod. 17:1-8; Num. 20:11, 13).

In David:

He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them to drink abundantly as out of the deeps. He brought streams out of the rock and caused waters to run down like a river (Ps. 78:15, 16);

where the "rock" denotes the Lord; "waters," "rivers," and "deeps" from it, denote truths from Him.

In the same:

Jehovah maketh rivers into a wilderness, and water-springs into dry ground; He maketh a wilderness into a pool of waters, and a dry land into water-springs (Ps. 107:33, 35).

In the same:

The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters; Jehovah is upon many waters (Ps. 29:3).

In the same:

A river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High (Ps. 46:4).

In the same:

By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the army of them by the breath of His mouth; He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap, He layeth up the deeps in storehouses (Ps. 33:6, 7).

In the same:

Thou dost visit the earth, and delightest in it greatly; thou enrichest it, the river of God is full of waters (Ps. 65:9).

In the same:

The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee, the deeps also trembled; the clouds poured out waters; Thy way was in the sea, and Thy path in many waters (Ps. 77:16, 17, 19).

It is manifest to everyone that the "waters" here do not signify waters, and that it is not meant that the deeps trembled, nor that the way of Jehovah was in the sea, and His path in the waters; but that spiritual waters are meant, that is, spiritual things which are of truth; otherwise this would be a heap of empty words.

In Isaiah:

Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and he that hath no silver, come ye, buy (Isa. 55:1).

In Zechariah:

It shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea (Zech. 14:8).

Moreover where the church is treated of in the Word as about to be planted and as having been planted, and where it is described by a paradise, a garden, a grove, or by trees, it is usual for it to be also described by waters or rivers which irrigate; by which either spiritual, rational, or memory things (which are of truth) are signified-as in the description of Paradise in Genesis (2:8, 9); which is also described by the rivers there (verses 10 to 14), signifying the things of wisdom and intelligence. The same is true in many other places in the Word, as in Moses:

As valleys are they planted, as gardens by the river, as sandal-wood trees which Jehovah hath planted, as cedars beside the waters; waters shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters (Num. 24:6, 7).

In Ezekiel:

He took of the seed of the land, and planted it in a field of sowing, he placed it beside many waters; it budded, and became a luxuriant vine (Ezek. 17:5, 6);

that a "vine" and a "vineyard" signify the spiritual church may be seen above (n. 1069). In the same:

Thy mother was like a vine in thy likeness, planted by the waters; she became fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters (Ezek. 19:10).

In the same:

Behold Asshur was a cedar in Lebanon; the waters nourished him, the deep made him high, going with her rivers round about his plant; and she sent out her canals unto all the trees of the field (Ezek. 31:4).

In the same:

Behold upon the bank of the river were very many trees on this side and on that. He said unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern border, and shall go down into the plain, and shall go toward the sea; and being sent into the sea the waters are healed. And it shall be that every living soul that creepeth, in every place whither the two rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters are come thither; and they shall be healed, so that everything whithersoever the river cometh shall live. The miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given up to salt (Ezek. 47:7-9, 11).

Here the New Jerusalem, or the Lord's spiritual kingdom, is described: the "waters going forth to the eastern border," signify spiritual things from celestial things, which are truths from a celestial origin; that is, faith from love and charity. To "go down into the plain," signifies doctrinal things which are of the rational. To "go toward the sea," signifies to memory-knowledges; the "sea" is the collection of them (n. 28); the "living soul which creepeth," signifies their delights; which will "live from the waters of the river," that is, from spiritual things from a celestial origin. "Much fish" denotes an abundance of applicable memory-knowledges. The "miry places and the marshes" denote things not applicable and impure; being "given up to salt," denotes being vastated.

In Jeremiah:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah; he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, and that sendeth forth its roots by the river (Jer. 17:7-8).

In David:

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season (Ps. 1:3).

In John:

He showed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb; in the midst of the street of it, and on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life bearing twelve fruits (Rev. 22:1-2)

Seeing that in the internal sense of the Word "waters" signify truths, therefore in the Jewish Church, for the sake of representation before the angels with whom the rituals were viewed spiritually, it was commanded that the priests and Levites should wash themselves with water when they came near to minister, and indeed out of the laver between the tent and the altar; and later, out of the brazen sea and the other lavers around the temple, which were in place of a fountain. So too for the sake of the representation was the institution of the water of sin or of purgation that was to be sprinkled upon the Levites (Num. 8:7); also that of the water of separation, from the ashes of the red heifer (Num. 19:2-19); and that the spoils from the Midianites should be cleansed by water (Num. 31:19-25).

The waters which were given out of the rock (Exod. 17:1-8; Num. 20:1-13; Deut. 8:15) represented and signified an abundance of spiritual things or truths of faith from the Lord. The bitter waters which were healed by the wood (Exod. 15:23-25) represented and signified that the truths which are not pleasing become acceptable and grateful from good, that is, from the affection of it. (That "wood" signifies good which is of affection, or of the will, may be seen above, n. 643.) From all this it may now be known what "water" denotes in the Word, and hence what the water in baptism denotes, of which the Lord speaks thus in John:

Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5)

namely, that "water" is the spiritual of faith, and the "spirit" the celestial of it; thus that baptism is the symbol of the regeneration of man by the Lord by means of the truths and goods of faith. Not that regeneration is effected by baptism, but by the life signified in baptism, into which life Christians who have the truths of faith, because they have the Word, must come.

(from Arcana Coelestia 3424)