The Faith of the Church

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

No other faith is meant as being the internal of the church than that which is of love or charity, that is, which is from love or charity.

Faith, in a general sense, is all the doctrinal teaching of the church. But doctrine [doctrinale] separated from love or charity, by no means makes the internal of the church, for doctrine is only knowledge which is of the memory, and this exists also with the worst men, and even with infernals.

But the doctrine that is from charity, or that is of charity, does make the internal of the church, for this is of the life.

The life itself is the internal of all worship; and so is all doctrine that flows from the life of charity and it is this doctrine that is of faith which is here meant. That it is this faith which is the internal of the church, may be seen from this consideration alone, that he who has the life of charity is acquainted with all things of faith. If you will, just examine all doctrinal things, and see what and of what quality they are; do they not all pertain to charity, and consequently to the faith that is from charity?

Take only the Precepts of the Decalogue. The first of these is to worship the Lord God. He who has the life of love or of charity worships the Lord God, because this is his life. Another precept is to keep the Sabbath. He who is in the life of love, or in charity, keeps the Sabbath holy, for nothing is more sweet to him than to worship the Lord, and to glorify Him every day. The precept, "Thou shalt not kill," is altogether of charity. He who loves his neighbor as himself, shudders at doing anything that injures him, still more at killing him. So too the precept, "Thou shalt not steal;" for he who has the life of charity would rather give of his own to his neighbor, than take anything away from him. And so with the precept, "Thou shalt not commit adultery;" he who is in the life of charity the rather guards his neighbor's wife, lest anyone should offer her such injury, and regards adultery as a crime against conscience, and such as destroys conjugial love and its duties. To covet the things that are the neighbor's is also contrary to those who are in the life of charity; for it is of charity to desire good to others from one's self and one's own; such therefore by no means covet the things which are another's.

These are the precepts of the Decalogue which are more external doctrinal things of faith; and these are not only known in the memory by him who is in charity and its life, but are in his heart; and he has them inscribed upon himself, because they are in his charity, and thus in his very life; besides other things of a dogmatic nature which he in like manner knows from charity alone; for he lives according to a conscience of what is right. The right and the truth which he cannot thus understand and explore, he believes simply or from simplicity of heart to be so because the Lord has said so; and he who so believes does not do wrong, even though what he thus accepts is not true in itself, but apparent truth.

As for example, if anyone believes that the Lord is angry, punishes, tempts, and the like. Or if he holds that the bread and wine in the Holy Supper are significative, or that the flesh and blood are present in some way in which they explain it - it is of no consequence whether they say the one thing or the other, although there are few who think about this matter, or even if they do think about it, provided this is done from a simple heart, because they have been so instructed, and nevertheless live in charity: these, when they hear that the bread and wine in the internal sense signify the Lord's love toward the whole human race, and the things which are of this love, and man's reciprocal love to the Lord and the neighbor, they forthwith believe, and rejoice that it is so.

Not so they who are in doctrinal things and not in charity; these contend about everything, and condemn all whoever they may be that do not say (they call it "believe") as they do. From all this everyone can see that love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor are the internal of the church.

( from Arcana Coelestia 1798)

How A Person Acquires Wisdom

Selection from Conjugial Love ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Man possesses knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. Knowledge is a matter of knowing facts, intelligence of reasoning, and wisdom of how to live. Wisdom regarded in its fullness takes in knowing, reasoning and how to live. Knowing comes first, the reason is formed by this means, and wisdom is formed by them both, arising when people live according to reason as dictated by the truths which have been learned. Wisdom is, therefore, a matter both of reason and of living taken together; and it becomes wisdom when it is a matter of reason and so of how to live; but it is wisdom when it has become a matter of how to live, and so of reason. The most ancient peoples of this world knew of no wisdom but that of how to live — this was the wisdom of those they called 'wise men' (sophi ). But the ancients after this earliest period recognized the wisdom of reason as wisdom — they were called 'philosophers' (philosophi*). Nowadays many people also call knowledge wisdom, for educated and learned men, even those who merely know a great deal — are called wise. So has wisdom declined from its heights to the trough.

But some remarks must be added on what wisdom is like when it arises, and then when it reaches its full development.

The matters to do with the church, what are called spiritual matters, occupy the inmost position in a person. Matters to do with the state, called civil matters, occupy a lower place; and those which are to do with knowledge, experience and skill, called natural matters, make up their footstool.

The reason matters to do with the church, those called spiritual, occupy the inmost position in a person is that they establish a link with heaven, and through heaven with the Lord; nothing else comes into a person from the Lord by way of heaven.

The reason why matters to do with the state, called civil matters, occupy a place below the spiritual ones is that they establish a link with the world, for they belong to the world. These are the statutes, laws and regulations which bind people together to form a fixed and stable society and state.

The reason why matters to do with knowledge, experience and skill make up their footstool is that they are closely linked to the five bodily senses, and these are at the outermost position, on which the inner positions, those of the mind, and the inmost positions, those of the soul, rest.

Now since the matters which fall in the realm of the church, spiritual matters as they are called, are lodged at the inmost position, and since what is lodged there makes up the head, and what comes beneath them, civil matters as they are called, make up the body, and what comes beneath them, natural matters as they are called, make up the feet, it is evident that when these three elements are arranged in the proper order, a person is in a state of perfection. For in these circumstances they exert similar influence. Just as what belongs to the head influences the body, and through the body the feet, so too spiritual matters influence civil ones, and, by way of these, natural ones. Now since spiritual matters are illuminated by heaven's light, it is plain that they have light to illuminate the next steps in order, and give them life by their heat, which is love. When this happens, a person acquires wisdom.

If, as said earlier, wisdom is to do with how to live and so with reason, it may be asked what is the wisdom of living.

To sum it up briefly, it is shunning evils, because they damage the soul, the state and the body; and doing good because these actions benefit the soul, the state and the body. This is the kind of wisdom meant by that with which conjugial love forms a tie — for it does this by shunning the evil of adultery as a plague to the soul, the state and the body. Since that wisdom wells up from spiritual sources, which have to do with the church, it follows that conjugial love depends upon the state of the church in a person, which depends on the state of his wisdom.

The more a person become spiritual, the more he has truly conjugial love. For it is the spirituality of the church which make a person spiritual.

(from Conjugial Love 130)

* Literally 'lovers of wisdom'

Heavenly Love vs Love of Self

Selection from Heaven and Hell ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The love of self is wishing well to oneself alone, and to others only for the sake of self; even to the Church, one's country, or any human society. It consists also in doing good to all these solely for the sake of one's own reputation, honor, and glory; and unless these are seen in the uses he performs to others he says in his heart: "How does it concern me? Why should I do this? What shall I get from it?" And therefore he does not do it.

Evidently, then, he who is in the love of self does not love the Church or his country or society, nor any use, but himself alone. His delight is solely the delight of the love of self — and as the delight that comes forth from his love is what makes the life of man, his life is a life of self — and a life of self is a life from man's proprium, and man's proprium, regarded in itself is nothing but evil. He who loves himself loves also those who belong to him, that is, in particular, his children and grandchildren, and in general, all who are at one with him, whom he calls his. To love them is to love himself; for he regards them as it were in himself and himself in them. Among those whom he calls his are also all who commend, honor, and pay their court to him.

The quality of the love of self can be confirmed from a comparison with heavenly love.

Heavenly love is loving uses for the sake of uses, or goods for the sake of goods, which are done by man for the Church, his country, human society, and a fellow-citizen; for this is loving God and loving the neighbor, since all uses and all goods are from God, and are the neighbor who is to be loved. But he who loves these for the sake of himself loves them merely as servants because they are serviceable to him. Consequently, it is the will of one who is in self-love that the Church, his country, human societies, and his fellow-citizens, should serve him, and not he them, for he places himself above them and places them beneath himself. Therefore, so far as anyone is in the love of self he separates himself from heaven, because he removes himself from heavenly love.

Furthermore, so far as anyone is in heavenly love, which is loving uses and goods and being moved by delight of heart when doing them for the sake of the Church, country, human society, and a fellow-citizen, he is so far led by the Lord, because that love is the love in which the Lord is, and which is from Him. But so far as anyone is in the love of self, which is performing uses and goods for the sake of himself so far he is led by himself and so far as anyone is led by himself he is not led by the Lord. And from this it also follows that so far as anyone loves himself he removes himself from the Divine, thus also from heaven.

To be led by one's self is to be led by one's proprium and man's proprium is nothing but evil.

Man's inherited evil is loving self more than God, and the world more than heaven. Whenever man looks to himself in the good that he does, he is let into his proprium, that is, into his inherited evils; for he then looks from goods to himself and not from himself to goods, and therefore he presents an image of himself in his goods, and not an image of the Divine. That this is so has also been proved to me by experience. There are evil spirits whose dwelling-places are in the middle quarter between the north and the west, beneath the heavens, who are skilled in the art of leading well-disposed spirits into their proprium and thus into evils of various kinds. This they do by leading them into thoughts about themselves, either openly by praises and honours, or secretly by directing their affections to themselves; and so far as this is done they turn the faces of the well-disposed spirits away from heaven, and to the same extent they obscure their understanding and call forth evils from their proprium.

That the love of self is the opposite of love towards the neighbor can be seen from the origin and essence of both.

The love of the neighbor with one who is in the love of self begins with oneself, for he claims that anyone is neighbor to oneself — it goes forth from him as its center to all who make one with him, diminishing in accordance with the degree of their conjunction with him by love. All outside of this circle are regarded as of no account; and those who are opposed to those in the circle and to their evils are accounted as enemies, whatever their character may be, however wise, upright, honest, or just. But spiritual love towards the neighbor begins with the Lord, and goes forth from Him as its center to all who are conjoined to Him by love and faith, going forth in accordance with the quality of the love and faith with them. So it is clear that the love of the neighbor that begins from man is the opposite of the love towards the neighbor that begins from the Lord. The former proceeds from evil because it proceeds from man's proprium, while the latter proceeds from good because it proceeds from the Lord, Who is Good Itself. It is clear also that the love of the neighbor that proceeds from man and his proprium is corporeal, while the love towards the neighbor that proceeds from the Lord is heavenly.

(from Heaven and Hell 556-558)