Selections from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
It is surprising that man does not as yet know that his intellectual mind is in a certain light that is altogether different from the light of the world; but such is the condition that to those who are in the light of the world the light of heaven is as it were darkness, and to those who are in the light of heaven the light of the world is as it were darkness. This arises principally from the loves, which are the heats of the light. They who are in the loves of self and of the world, thus only in the heat of the light of the world, are affected solely by evils and falsities, and these are the things which extinguish truths, which are of the light of heaven. But they who are in love to the Lord and in love toward the neighbor, thus in spiritual heat, which is of the light of heaven, are affected with goods and truths, which extinguish falsities; but still with these persons there exists a correspondence.Spirits who are only in the things which are of the light of the world, and are thence in falsities derived from evils, have indeed light from heaven in the other life, but such a light as is fatuous, or as that which issues from a lighted coal or firebrand; but on the approach of the light of heaven this light is at once extinguished, and becomes thick darkness. They who are in this light are in phantasies, and the things which they see in phantasies they believe to be truths, nor to them is anything else truth. Their phantasies are also closely bound to filthy and obscene objects, with which they are most especially delighted; thus they think like persons who are insane and delirious. In regard to falsities, they do not reason whether these be so or not, but they instantly affirm them; whereas in regard to goods and truths they carry on a continual ratiocination*, which terminates in what is negative.
For truths and goods, which are from the light of heaven, flow into the interior mind, which with them is closed; wherefore the light flows in around and outside of this mind, and becomes such that it is modified solely by the falsities which appear to them as truths. Truths and goods cannot be acknowledged, except with those whose interior mind is open, into which the light from the Lord may inflow; and so far as this mind is open, truths and goods are acknowledged. This mind is open only with those who are in innocence, in love to the Lord, and in charity toward their neighbor; but not with those who are in the truths of faith, unless they are at the same time in the good of life.
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THOSE WHO ARE SOLELY IN THE DOCTRINAL THINGS OF FAITH, AND AS TO LIFE ARE IN GOOD, BUT IN THE GOOD OF TRUTH, WHICH DOCTRINAL THINGS HAVE SOME CONJUNCTION WITH THE INTERNAL SENSE, THUS WITH THE LORD.
They who are solely in the doctrinal things of faith, and in a life according to them, are in a certain conjunction, but a remote one, for the reason that they do not know from any affection what charity toward the neighbor is, and still less what love to the Lord is, but only from a certain idea of faith; thus neither are they in any perception of good, but in a species of persuasion that what their doctrinal things dictate is true and thus good, and when they are confirmed in these doctrinal things, they may be in what is false equally as in what is true; for nothing but good confirms a man in regard to what is truth.- Truth indeed teaches what good is, but without perception; whereas good teaches what truth is from perception.
All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them (Matt. 7:12).He who acts from this precept does indeed do what is good to others, but because it is so commanded, thus not from the affection of the heart; and whenever he does it, he begins from himself, and also in doing good thinks of merit; whereas he who does not act from precept, but from charity, that is, from affection, acts from the heart, and thus from freedom; and whenever he acts, he begins from really willing what is good, thus for the reason that it is delightful to him; and as he has recompense in the delight, he does not think of merit.
From this then can be seen what the difference is between doing good from faith, and doing good from charity; and that those who do good from faith are more remote from good itself which is the Lord than those who do it from charity; neither can the former be easily introduced into the good of charity so far as to have a perception of it, because they are but little in truths; for no one can be introduced into this good unless things not true are first eradicated, which is impossible while such things are inrooted even to persuasion.
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THERE ARE INTERIOR TRUTHS IN ALL THE DOCTRINAL THINGS THAT ARE DRAWN FROM THE LITERAL SENSE OF THE WORD, BECAUSE THE LITERAL SENSE OF THE WORD IS LIKE A WELL THAT CONTAINS WATER; FOR IN EACH AND EVERY THING OF THE WORD THERE IS AN INTERNAL SENSE, WHICH IS ALSO IN THE DOCTRINAL THINGS THAT ARE FROM THE WORD
As regards the doctrinal things that are from the literal sense of the Word, the case is this:When a man is in them, and at the same time in a life according to them, he has a correspondence in himself; for the angels who are with him are in interior truths, while he is in exterior ones, and thus through the doctrinal things he has communication with heaven, but according to the good of his life.
As for example, when in the Holy Supper he thinks in simplicity of the Lord from the words then used, "This is My body, and this is "My blood," the angels with him are in the idea of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor; for love to the Lord corresponds to the Lord's body, and to bread; and charity toward the neighbor corresponds to the blood, and the wine; and because there is such a correspondence, there flows an affection out of heaven through the angels into that holy state in which the man then is, which affection he receives in accordance with the good of his life.
- For the angels dwell with everyone in his life's affection, thus in the affection of the doctrinal things according to which he lives; but in no case if his life disagrees therewith -
(from Arcana Coelestia 3224; 3459; 3463; 3464 )
* ratiocination: the process of exact thinking - REASONING - a reasoned train of thought