According to the Angel's Use

Selection from Divine Lovea ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Each use draws its life from the general use and from that the necessary, useful and enjoyable things of life flow in according to the quality of the use and the quality of its affection.

This is an arcanum that has not yet been disclosed.

Something of it, indeed, appears in the world, but not in such clearness that it can be seen to be so, for in the world every man receives from the general use the necessary, useful and enjoyable things of life according to the excellence and extent of his service.  Some are remunerated from the general use, some are enriched from it. The general use is like a lake from which remunerations and riches flow. These are determined and produced by uses and pursuits which pertain to the affection — nevertheless what the uses themselves are in themselves cannot be concluded from these results — for in the world the evil as well as the good, those who perform no uses, and those who perform evil uses as well as those who perform good uses, are sometimes remunerated and grow rich. In the spiritual world it is otherwise. Uses are there laid bare, and their origin is revealed, and their place in the spiritual Man which is the Lord in the heavens. There everyone is rewarded according to the nobleness of his use, and at the same time according to his affection for use. There no idler is tolerated, no lazy vagabond, no indolent boaster claiming credit for the zeal and vigor of others; but everyone must be active, skillful, attentive and diligent in his office and business, and must put honor and reward not in the first place, but in the second or third.

So far as this is the case, the necessary, useful, and enjoyable things of life flow in with them. These flow in from the general use, because they are not gotten together for oneself, as in this world; but they exist in a moment, and are bestowed by the Lord gratuitously. And because in the spiritual world there is communication and extension of all thoughts and affections, and in heaven communication and extension of the affections of use according to their quality, and because all who are in the heavens are affected by uses and delight in them, on this account the necessary, useful, and enjoyable things of life flow abundantly out from the general use into the use of the man, and into the man who does the use, as a usufruct*.

The necessary things of life that are bestowed by the Lord gratuitously and that exist in a moment, are food, clothing and habitation, and these correspond throughout to the use in which the angel is. Things useful are those that are tributary to these three, and are delightful to him who receives them, as well as a variety of embellishments for the table, dress, and home, which are beautiful according to the angel's use, and of a splendor commensurate to his affection. Things enjoyable are those connected with wife, friends, and associates, all of whom love him and are loved by him. Such mutual and reciprocal love springs from every affection for use.

There are such things in heaven because there are such things in man, for heaven corresponds to all things of man.  The man who is in the affection of use from use or for the sake of use is a heaven in the least form. There can be in man no member, or any part in a member, that does not draw from the general use what is necessary, useful, and enjoyable, here the general use provides for every part according to its use; whatever is needed for its work by any part is conveyed to it from neighboring parts, and to these from parts that are near them, and thus from the whole; and the part in like manner shares its own with the rest according to their need. And so it is in the Divine spiritual Man, which is heaven, for so it is in the Lord.

From all this it is clear that every use is representative of all the uses in the whole body, and thus in every use there is the idea of the whole, and thereby an image of man. From this it is that an angel of heaven is a man according to use; and if it is permissible here to speak spiritually, it is from this that a use is a man-angel.

*usufruct - the right to enjoy the use and advantages of another's property short of the destruction or waste of its substance.

(from Divine Love XII)

That Which Makes Man Man

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The very life of man is his love; and such as his love is, such is his life; nay, such is the whole man. But it is the ruling or reigning love, that is, the love of that which he has as the end, which makes the man. This love has subordinate to itself many particular and singular loves, which are derivations, and appear under a different shape, but still the ruling love is in each one of them, and directs them, and through them, as through mediate ends, looks to and aims at its end, which is the first and last of them all and this both directly and indirectly.

There are two things in the natural world which make the life there, namely, heat and light. There are two things in the spiritual world which make the life there, namely, love and faith. Heat in the natural world corresponds to love in the spiritual world, and light in the natural world corresponds to faith in the spiritual world. Hence it is that when spiritual heat or fire is mentioned, love is meant; and when spiritual light is mentioned, faith is meant. Moreover, love is actually the vital heat of man, for it is known that man grows warm from love, and faith is actually the light of man, for it can be known that man is illumined from faith.

The heat and light in the natural world arise from the sun of the world; but spiritual heat and light, or love and faith, arise from the sun of heaven. The sun of heaven is the Lord; the heat which comes from Him as a sun is love, and the light which comes from Him as a sun is faith. That the Lord is light is evident from these words in John:

Jesus said, I am the light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12);

and that the Lord is a sun is evident in Matthew:

When Jesus was transfigured, His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as the light (Matt. 17:2).

From this correspondence it can also be known how the case is with faith and with love. Faith without love is like light without heat, as is the light of winter. Faith with love is like light with heat, as is the light of spring. That in the light of spring each and all things grow and flower, is known and also that in the light of winter all things become torpid and die. It is similar with faith and love.

Now as love is the source of man's life, and as the whole man is such as is his love, and also as love is spiritual conjunction, it follows that all in the other life are consociated according to the loves — for everyone's life, that is, his love, follows him. They who are in love toward the neighbor, and in love to God, are consociate in heaven, but they who are in the love of self and the love of the world are consociate in hell; for the love of self is opposite to love to God, and the love of the world is opposite to love toward the neighbor.

It is said "love to God," and there is meant love to the Lord, because in Him is the Trinity, and He is the Lord of heaven, for He has "all power in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18).

(from Arcana Coelestia 7081-7086)

To Sing A Song

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

To sing a song denotes to glorify, and that thus a "song" denotes a glorification, is because in the Ancient Church and afterward in the Jewish Church the songs were prophetic and treated of the Lord, especially that He would come into the world, and would overthrow the diabolical crew, then raging more than ever, and would liberate the faithful from their assaults. And because the prophetic utterances of the songs contained such things in the internal sense, therefore by these is signified a glorification of the Lord, that is, a celebration of Him from gladness of heart — for gladness of heart is especially expressed by a song, because in a song gladness breaks forth as it were of itself into sound. Hence it is that Jehovah - that is, the Lord - is called in songs "Hero," a "Man of war," the "God of armies," "Conqueror," "Strength," "Bulwark," "Shield," "Salvation;" and the diabolical crew that is overthrown, "the enemy" that is "smitten," "swallowed up," "overwhelmed," "cast into hell."

They who knew nothing of the internal sense also believed in time past that such things as were in the world were meant, as worldly enemies, battles, victories, defeats, submersions, of which the songs treated in the external sense, but they who knew that all prophetic utterances involved things heavenly and Divine, and that these were represented in them, knew that the subject there treated of is the damnation of the unfaithful, and the salvation of the faithful by the Lord, when He would come into the world.  And then those who knew this, and meditated upon it, and were affected thereby, had internal gladness, but others only external. The angels also who were with the men were at the same time in the glorification of the Lord; consequently they who sang, and they who heard the songs, had heavenly gladness from the holy and blessed influx which flowed in from heaven, in which they seemed to themselves to be as it were taken up into heaven. Such an effect had the songs of the church among the ancients. Such an effect also they would have at this day — for the spiritual angels are especially affected by songs which are about the Lord, His kingdom, and the church. That the songs of the church had this effect, was not only because by them gladness of heart became active, and burst forth from within even to the utmost fibers of the body, and set these in motion with a glad and at the same time a holy tremor, but also because there is a glorification of the Lord in the heavens by means of choirs, and thus by the harmonious music of many. From this also angelic speech is harmonious, falling into rhythmic measures. From this it is that the glorifications of the Lord among the ancients who were of the church were performed by means of songs, psalms, and musical instruments of various kinds; for the ancients who were of the church had a joy that surpassed all other joys from calling to mind the Lord's coming, and the salvation of the human race through Him.

That in the internal sense the prophetic songs contained a glorification of the Lord, is evident from the songs in the Word, as in Isaiah:

I Jehovah have called thee in righteousness, and I will take hold of thy hand, I will guard thee, and give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light to the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the bound one from the prison, him that sitteth in darkness out of the house of confinement: sing ye to Jehovah a new song, His praise, extremity of the earth; let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up a voice, let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them give glory to Jehovah; Jehovah shall go forth as a hero, as a man of wars; He shall stir up the zeal, He shall prevail over His enemies (Isa. 42:6, 7, 10-13)

it is evident that this treats of the Lord, in that He would come to liberate those who were in spiritual captivity; wherefore it is said, "sing to Jehovah a new song," and "let the inhabitants of the rock sing."

In like manner in the same:

I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the land, to divide the wasted heritages; to say to them that are bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Be ye revealed: they shall feed upon the ways, and on all hillsides shall be their pasture. Sing, O ye heavens; and exult, O earth; and resound, ye mountains, with song, because Jehovah hath comforted His people, and will have mercy on his afflicted ones (Isa. 49:8, 9, 13)

here also the coming of the Lord and the liberation of the bound are treated of.

In David:

Sing ye to Jehovah a new song, bless His name, recount His glory among the nations: all the gods of the peoples are vanities; but Jehovah made the heavens, glory and honor are before Him; strength and comeliness are in His sanctuary; give ye to Jehovah glory and strength, give ye to Jehovah the glory of His name; say ye among the nations, Jehovah reigneth, the world also is established, and it shall not be removed; Jehovah cometh, He cometh to judge the earth (Ps. 96).

Jehovah hath made me come up out of the pit of vastation, out of the mire of clay; and hath set my feet upon a rock; and He hath put a new song into my mouth, even praise to our God; many shall see, and shall trust (Ps. 40:2, 3).

From these words also it is evident that a "song" denotes a glorification of the Lord on account of liberation; for the songs involved gladness of heart, and the exaltation of the Lord-gladness of heart, on account of the Lord's coming and salvation then; and exaltation, on account of victory over spiritual enemies. Gladness of heart with exaltation of the Lord is what is meant by glorification.

That gladness of heart was signified by "songs," is evident in these passages:

Confess ye to Jehovah on the harp, on a psaltery of ten strings, sing psalms to Him, sing ye to Him a new song; beat surpassingly with a loud noise, because He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap, He putteth the deeps in treasuries (Ps. 33:2, 3, 7).

The joy of timbrels shall cease, the tumult of them that are merry shall cease, the joy of the harp shall cease. They shall not drink wine with a song (Isa. 24:8, 9).

I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation (Amos 8:10).

That the exaltation of Jehovah, that is, of the Lord, was performed by means of songs, is plain in David:

David the servant of Jehovah, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song: Jehovah, my strength, Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my rescuer; my God, my rock in whom I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my refuge; I will call upon Jehovah, who is to be praised; then shall I be saved from mine enemies (Ps. 18:1-3).

Jehovah is my strength and my shield; whence in a song I will confess Him; Jehovah is their strength, and the strength of salvations of His anointed (Ps. 28:7, 8).

Thy salvation O God will bring me on high; I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with confession (Ps. 69:29, 30).

That the songs treated of the Lord, is evident also in John:

The twenty-four elders sang a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou who takest the book, and openest the seals thereof; because Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us unto God with Thy blood (Rev. 5:8, 9).

I saw seven angels who sang the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord, God the Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, O King of saints; who would not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? (Rev. 15:1, 2, 4)

"the song of Moses and of the Lamb" is the song which is in this chapter: it is called "the song of the Lamb," because the glorification of the Lord is treated of therein.

(from Arcana Coelestia 8261)