Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less
All, of whatever ability they may be, must equally ascribe to the Lord all things of truth from good
All have the capacity to understand and to be wise; but the reason one person is wiser than another is that they do not in like manner ascribe to the Lord all things of intelligence and wisdom, which are all things of truth and good. They who ascribe all to the Lord are wiser than the rest, because all things of truth and good, which constitute wisdom, flow in from heaven, that is, from the Lord there. The ascription of all things to the Lord opens the interiors of man toward heaven, for thus it is acknowledged that nothing of truth and good is from himself - in proportion as this is acknowledged, the love of self departs, and with the love of self the thick darkness from falsities and evils. In the same proportion also the man comes into innocence, and into love and faith to the Lord, from which comes conjunction with the Divine, influx thence, and enlightenment. From all this it is evident whence it is that one is more wise, and another less; and also why the rich should not give more and the poor less-namely, that all alike have the capacity of being wise; not indeed an equal capacity of being wise, but they are alike in having the capacity to be so, because both the one and the other can be wise.
By the capacity to be wise is not meant the capacity to reason about truths and goods from memory-knowledges, nor the capacity to confirm whatever one pleases; but the capacity to discern what is true and good, to choose what is suitable, and to apply it to the uses of life. They who ascribe all things to the Lord do thus discern, choose, and apply; while those who do not ascribe to the Lord, but to themselves, know merely how to reason about truths and goods; nor do they see anything except what is from others; and this not from reason, but from the activity of the memory. As they cannot look into truths themselves, they stand outside, and confirm whatever they receive, whether it be true or false. They who can do this in a learned way from memory-knowledges are believed by the world to be wiser than others; but the more they attribute all things to themselves, thus the more they love what they think from themselves, the more insane they are; for they confirm falsities rather than truths, and evils rather than goods, and this because they have light from no other source than the fallacies and appearances of the world, and consequently from their own light, which is called natural light, separated from the light of heaven; and which light when thus separated is mere thick darkness in respect to the truths and goods of heaven.
That "riches" and "wealth" denote the things of intelligence and wisdom, consequently also the knowledges of truth and good, which moreover are called spiritual wealth and riches, is evident from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as in Isaiah:
I will visit upon the fruit of the pride of the king of Assyria, for he hath said, In the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am intelligent; whence I will remove the bounds of the peoples and will ravage their treasures; as a nest shall my hand find the wealth of the peoples (Isa. 10:12-14).The subject here treated of in the internal sense is those who trust in their own intelligence, and do not believe that true wisdom comes from heaven, but from themselves. The "king of Assyria" denotes reasoning, here from self-intelligence; hence "to ravage the treasures and the wealth of the peoples" denotes to destroy those things which are truths of intelligence and wisdom.
***
O Babel, who dwellest upon many waters, great in treasures (Jer. 51:13)."Babel" denotes those who possess the Word and from this all the goods and truths of the church, but who connect them with the love of self, and thus profane them; which was also represented by the king of Babel taking all the vessels of the temple, which were of gold and silver, and drinking out of them, and then praising the gods of gold and silver (Dan. 5:2, and following verses). Hence Babel is said to "dwell upon many waters, great in treasures;" "waters" denote truths, and in the opposite sense falsities. This is more fully described in Revelation, where the riches of Babylon, which are there called "merchandise," are enumerated (Rev. 18).
In Ezekiel:
I will bring Nebuchadnezzar against Tyre. With the hoofs of his horses shall he trample all thy streets. They shall snatch away thy wealth, and plunder thy merchandise (Ezek. 26:7, 11, 12).By "Tyre" is meant the church in respect to the knowledges of good and truth; by "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel" is meant the profanation that vastates, which takes place when by means of a wrong application the truths and goods of the church serve as means to favor the evils of the loves of self and of the world; for then the evils of these loves are within the heart, and the holy things of the church are in the mouth; the "hoofs of the horses" denote the outermost natural things, which are merely sensuous memory-knowledges, and "streets" denote the truths of faith; "wealth" and "merchandise" denote the knowledges of good and truth.
As by "Tyre" are signified the knowledges of good and truth, therefore where Tyre is treated of in the Word, various kinds of merchandise and riches are also treated of, as in the same prophet:
Tarshish was thy trader, by means of the multitude of all kinds of wealth, in silver, iron, tin, and lead. Damascus was thy trader for the multitude of all thy wealth. By the multitude of thy wealth and of thy merchandise thou didst enrich all the kings of the earth (Ezek. 27:12, 18, 33).
In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made wealth for thyself, gold and silver in thy treasuries; by the multitude of thy wisdom thou hast multiplied wealth for thyself (Ezek. 28:4, 5)speaking also of Tyre; by which it is very evident that by "wealth" and "riches" in the Word are meant spiritual wealth and riches, which are the knowledges of good and truth, thus which are the means of wisdom.
So in these passages:
Tyre hath gathered silver as dust, and gold as the mire of the streets. Behold the Lord will impoverish her, and will shake off her wealth into the sea (Zech. 9:3, 4).
The daughter of Tyre shall offer thee a gift. O daughter of the king; the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces (Ps. 45:12).In this passage the church is described in respect to the affection of truth, and is called the "daughter of the king," for a "daughter" denotes the church as to affection; and a "king" denotes truth; therefore it is said that "the daughter of Tyre shall offer a gift," and "the rich of the people shall entreat thy faces;" "the rich of the people" denote those who abound in truths and goods.
In Hosea:
Ephraim said, Surely I am become rich, I have found for me wealth (Hos. 12:8)where by "becoming rich and finding wealth" is not meant that he was enriched with worldly riches and wealth, but with heavenly; for by "Ephraim" is meant the intellectual of the church, which is enlightened when the Word is read.
In John:
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, Because thou sayest, I am rich, and I have been enriched, and I need no aid, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and needy, and blind, and naked; I counsel thee to buy of Me gold purified in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed (Rev. 3:14, 17, 18).The subject here treated of is the church which makes everything of the church consist in bare knowledges, and from this exalts itself above others, when yet knowledges are nothing but means for amending and perfecting the life; wherefore he who possesses them without a life according to them, is "wretched, miserable, needy, blind, and naked;" to "buy gold purified in the fire" denotes to procure from the Lord genuine good, and "white garments," denotes to procure from the Lord genuine truths from this good. ("gold" denotes the good of love; "garments" denote the truths of faith)
In Jeremiah:
I, Jehovah, give to everyone according to his ways, according to the fruits of his works. As the partridge gathereth, but beareth not, so he getteth riches, but not with judgment; In the midst of his days he shall desert them; and in the end of his days he shall become a fool (Jer. 17:10, 11);the subject here treated of is those who acquire knowledges without any use in view than that they may "get riches," that is, that they may know them; when yet it is the life which they ought to be devoted to. This is meant by "gathering as the partridge and yet not bearing," and by "getting riches, but not with judgment."
In Luke:
Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all his property, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:33);he who does not know that in the internal sense "property" denotes spiritual riches and wealth, which are knowledges from the Word, cannot possibly know otherwise than that in order that he may be saved he must deprive himself of all wealth; when yet this is not the sense of these words: by "property" are here meant all things which are from man's own intelligence, for no one can be wise from himself, but only from the Lord; wherefore "to renounce all property" denotes to attribute nothing of intelligence and wisdom to self; and he who does not do this cannot be instructed by the Lord, that is, "be His disciple."
As by "property," "riches," "wealth," "silver," and "gold," are signified those things which belong to intelligence and wisdom, therefore also the kingdom of heaven is compared by the Lord to "treasure hid in a field" (Matt. 13:44); and it is said that they should "make to themselves treasure in the heavens that faileth not, because where the treasure is there is the heart" (Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:33, 34).
They who do not know that by the "rich" are meant those who possess the knowledges of truth and good, thus who have the Word; and that by the "poor" are meant those who do not possess these knowledges, but who nevertheless desire them, cannot know otherwise than that by the "rich man who was clothed in crimson and fine linen," and by the "poor man who was cast forth at his entrance" (Luke 16) are meant a rich and a poor man in the common meaning of these terms, when yet by the "rich man" is there meant the Jewish nation which had the Word; by the "crimson" with which he was clothed is meant genuine good; and by the "fine linen," genuine truth; and by the "poor man cast forth at the entrance" are meant those who are outside the church and have not the Word, and yet long for the truths and goods of heaven and of the church.
From this also it is plain that by the "rich" are meant those who have the Word, consequently Divine truths; as also in the prophetic utterance of Mary in Luke:
God hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53);here "the hungry" denotes those who are in other places called the "poor," thus who have no bread and water, and consequently who are in hunger and thirst, that is, who do not know good and truth and yet long for them. By "bread and water" in the Word are signified good and truth; and by "hungering and thirsting," thus by "hunger and thirst," is signified the longing for these.
Such are also meant by the "poor" in other places, as in the following:
Blessed are the poor; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are ye that hunger, for ye shall be sated (Luke 6:20, 21).
The master of the house said to the servant, Go out into the streets and highways of the city, and bring in the poor, and the maimed, and the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).
To the poor the Gospel shall be preached (Luke 7:22).
The poor hear the Gospel (Matt. 11:5).
Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down confidently (Isa. 14:30).
The needy of men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 29:19).
I will leave in the midst of thee a people miserable and poor, who shall hope in the name of Jehovah; they shall feed and shall rest, none making them afraid (Zeph. 3:12, 13).
The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst. I Jehovah will hear them. I will open rivers upon the hillsides, and I will set fountains in the midst of the valleys (Isa. 41:17, 18)."The afflicted and the needy seeking water" denote those who long for the knowledges of good and truth; "water" denotes truth; the longing is described by "their tongue failing with thirst;" and the abundance which they will have, by "rivers being opened upon the hillsides, and fountains in the midst of the valleys." From all this it is further evident that heavenly things, which are truths of faith and goods of love, are meant by earthly things, which are "waters," "rivers upon the hillsides, fountains in the valleys," and that the latter is the literal sense of the Word, but the former the spiritual sense; and that through this sense the Word is Divine, and that without it, it is not Divine.
The signification of "wealth" and of "riches" as being what belongs to intelligence and wisdom, is also from correspondence; for among the angels in heaven all things appear as if they shone with gold, silver, and precious stones, and this because they are in the intelligence of truth and in the wisdom of good; for the interiors of the angels are presented to view in this way from the correspondence. Moreover, with the spirits who are below the heavens there is an appearance of riches according to the state of the reception of truth and good from the Lord.
(from Arcana Coelestia 10227)