The Neighbor ~'The Object of Charity'

Selection from Divine Wisdom ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The Lord is the source of charity, and the neighbour is the object of it. It is clear from what was said in the article [posted below], that the Lord is the source "from which" the love of uses, or charity, is and comes forth.

The reason the neighbour is the object of it, is because it is towards the neighbour that one ought to have charity, and to him that charity is to be performed.

As the neighbour is said to be the object of charity, it should be stated, too, what and who the neighbour is. The neighbour in a broad sense is the "general body of people or mankind" (commune seu Publicum): in a less broad sense it is the Church, one's country, a society, larger or smaller: and in a narrow sense it is a fellow-citizen, a companion and a brother. Performing uses to these from love is exercising charity towards the neighbour, for he who from love performs uses to them, is loving them.

The reason he is loving them is because the love of uses and the love of the neighbour cannot be separated.

Indeed, from a love of uses, or from charity, a man can do good to an enemy or to a wicked person, but the uses he performs to them are uses to bring about their repentance or their reconciliation, these uses varying in character, and being effected in various ways:

• Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
• Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
• But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
• That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
• For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
• And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
• Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

(Matthew 5:25; 43-48; see also Luke 6:27, 28, 35)

(Divine Wisdom II:131:2)

The Love of Uses is Charity

Selection from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

LOVE AND CHARITY

The love of uses is charity. In each and all things there are these three: an end, a cause, and an effect. The end is that "from which it originates" (a quo): the cause is that "by means of which it comes into existence" (per quod): and the effect is that "in which it has existence" (in quo).

When an end, by means of a cause, is in its effect, it then has existence.

In every love and in every affection from it, there is an end, and this end purposes or desires to do what it loves, and the thing done is its effect.

• The Lord is the End "from which"

• Man is the cause "by means of which"

• and Use is the effect "in which" the end has existence.

• The Lord is the End "from which," because out of His Divine Love He unceasingly purposes or wills to do uses, that is, goods to mankind

• Man is the cause "by means of which," because a man is, or can be, in the love of uses, and when in that love, he purposes or wills to do uses

• and Uses are the effects "in which" the end has existence; uses are the things that are also called "goods".

This shows clearly that the love of uses is the charity a man ought to have towards his neighbour.

That there is an end, a cause, and an effect in each and all things can be tested by anything whatever: as, for instance, when a man is doing something, he will say either to himself or to some one else, or some one else will say to him, Why are you doing that? that is, what is your "end" (or purpose): How do you do that? that is, by what "cause" (or means): and, What are you doing? that is, what is the "effect."

The end, the cause and the effect are also termed "the end-cause" (causa finalis), "the middle cause" and "the thing caused";

it is by reason of a law in regard to causes that "the end" is the all in the cause, and thereby the all in the effect, the "end" being the very essence of them both.

Similarly the Lord, because He is "the End," is the All in the love of uses, or charity, with a man, and thereby He is the All in the uses done by him, that is, in the uses done by means of him. From this is the belief in the Church that all good is from God and none from man; and that God is Good Itself. It follows as a consequence, therefore, that exercising charity is doing uses, or the goods that are uses; and so, that the love of uses is charity.

(Divine Wisdom XI:1,2)

Coming Forth Into Act

Excerpt from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me. But he that loveth Me not keepeth not My words (John 14:21, 24).

The affections of good and truth that are from that love must needs come forth in act, and when they come forth they are called uses, and are what are meant by good works.

(Apocalypse Explained 826:2)

The Essence of Love

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The essence of love is to love others outside itself, to desire to be one with them, and to make them happy from itself.

There are two things which make the Essence of God, namely, Love and Wisdom, and there are three things which make the essence of His Love, namely, to love others outside of itself, to desire to be one with them, and to make them happy from itself. The same three things also make the essence of His Wisdom ... Love and Wisdom make one in God: while Love wills these things, Wisdom gives effect to them.

• The first essential, to love others outside of itself, is recognized from the Love of God towards the whole human race; and for their sake God loves all things He has created, because they are means; for he who loves the end loves also the means. All persons and all things in the universe are outside of God because they are finite, and God is infinite. Yet the Love of God approaches and extends not only to good persons and good things, but also to evil persons and evil things; consequently not only to persons and things in heaven, but also to those in hell; thus not only to Michael* and Gabriel, but also to the devil and satan, for God is everywhere, and from eternity to eternity the same. He says also:

"He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matt. 5:45.

The reason, however, why evil persons and things are still evil is in the subjects and objects themselves, because they do not receive the Love of God in its own quality and interior nature, but according to their own nature, just as the thorn and nettle receive the heat of the sun and the rain of heaven.

• The second essential of the Love of God, to desire to be one with them, is perceived from His conjunction with the angelic heaven, with the Church on earth, with every individual there, and with every good and truth which enters into and constitutes man and the Church. Moreover, love viewed in itself is nothing but an endeavor towards conjunction; therefore, in order that this object of the essence of love might be attained, God created man in His own image and likeness by which conjunction might be effected. That the Divine Love is ever directed towards this union is evident from the words of the Lord,

that He desires that they may be one, He in them and they in Him, and that the Love of God may be in them, John 17:2, 22, 23, 26.

• The third essential of the Love of God, to make them happy from itself, is recognized from eternal life, or blessedness, happiness and felicity without end, which He gives those who receive His Love. For as God is Love itself so also is He Blessedness itself, since all love breathes out from itself what is delightful, and the Divine Love breathes out blessedness itself, happiness and felicity to eternity. Thus God makes angels happy from Himself, and also men after death, by conjunction with them.

(True Christian Religion 43)

* Michael, the archangel.

Can I know if it is 'Spiritual Charity'?

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(Extracted from a Memorable Relations after eminent examples of charity had been given)

Charity is to act with judgment from a love of justice in every employment and office, but from a love derived from no other source than the Lord God the Savior.

Charity in its origin is spiritual, but in its flowing forth is natural; and natural charity, if it is inwardly spiritual, appears to the angels transparent like a diamond; but if not inwardly spiritual, and therefore purely natural, it appears to the angels like a pearl that resembles the eye of a cooked fish.

It is not for me to say, whether the eminent examples of charity which you have presented in order, are inspired by spiritual charity or not; but I can say what the spiritual that ought to be in them, must be, that they may be natural forms of spiritual charity. The spiritual itself of these is this -

that they be done with judgment from a love of justice; that is, that in the exercise of charity man should see clearly whether he is acting from justice, and this he sees from judgment.

For a man may do evil by deeds of beneficence; and by what appear to be evil deeds he may do good.

For example: One who gives to a needy robber the means wherewith to buy a sword, by a beneficent act is doing evil; although the robber in begging the money did not tell what he would do with it. So again, if one rescues a robber from prison and shows him the way to a forest, saying to himself, It is not my fault that he commits robbery; I have given succor [assistance] to the man.  Take as another example, one who feeds an idler, and prevents his being compelled to work, saying to him, Go into a chamber in my house, and lie in bed; why should you weary yourself? Such a one favors idleness. Or again, take one who promotes relatives and friends with dishonest inclinations to offices of honor, wherein they can plot many kinds of mischief. Who cannot see that such works of charity do not proceed from any love of justice combined with judgment?

On the other hand, a man may do good through what appear to be evil deeds.

Take as an example a judge who acquits an evil-doer because he sheds tears, pours out words of piety, and begs the judge to pardon him because he is his neighbor. But in fact a judge performs a work of charity when he decrees the man's punishment according to the law; for he thus guards against the man's doing further evil and being a pest to society, which is the neighbor in a higher degree, and he prevents also the scandal of an unjust judgment. Who does not know also, that it is good for servants to be chastised by their masters, or children by their parents, when they do wrong? The same is true of those in hell, all of whom are in the love of doing evil. They are kept shut up in prisons, and when they do evil are punished, which the Lord permits for the sake of their amendment. This is so because the Lord is justice itself, and does whatever He does from judgment itself.

From all this it can be seen clearly, why, as just said, spiritual charity is done with judgment from a love of justice, and yet from a love derived from no other source than the Lord God the Savior. This is because all good of charity is from the Lord; for He says,

He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for apart from Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

Also that He has all power in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18);

and all love of justice with judgment is from no other source than the God of heaven, who is justice itself, and the source of all man's judgment (Jer. 23:5; 33:15).

Genuine charity is to believe in the Lord and to act justly and rightly in every employment and office. Therefore he who from the Lord loves justice and practises it with judgment, is charity in its image and likeness.

(True Christian Religion 459:13-17)

The Universal Law of Correspondences

From Concerning The Divine Wisdom ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

All things of the body, both internal and external, are correspondences.

What correspondence is has not hitherto been known in the world, for the reason that it has not been known what the spiritual is, and that there is a correspondence between what is natural and what is spiritual. When anything from the spiritual as the origin and cause becomes visible and perceptible before the senses, there is a correspondence between them. There is such a correspondence between spiritual and natural things with man

Spiritual things are all things pertaining to his love and wisdom, consequently to his will and understanding.

Natural things are all things pertaining to his body.

Because these have existed and perpetually exist, that is, subsist from spiritual things, they are correspondences; and therefore the two act as one, like end, cause, and effect. Thus the face acts as one with the affections of the mind, the speech with the thought, and the actions of all the members with the will; and the same is true of other things.

It is a universal law of correspondences that the spiritual fits itself to use, which is its end, and actuates and modifies the use by means of heat and light, and clothes it by provided means, until there results a form subservient to the end; and in this form the spiritual acts as the end, use as cause, and natural as effect; although in the spiritual world the substantial takes the place of the natural.

All things that are in such forms.

(Divine Wisdom II:3)

Reading the Word

Selection from Conjugial Love ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

That the Word is the medium of conjunction, because it is from the Lord and thus is the Lord. The Word is the medium of the Lord's conjunction with man, and of man's with the Lord, for the reason that in its essence it is Divine truth united with Divine good, and Divine good united with Divine truth.

this unition is in each and all things of the Word, in its celestial and its spiritual sense

From which it follows that the Word is the perfect marriage of good and truth; and because it is from the Lord, and what is from Him also is Himself, it results that -

when a man reads the Word, and takes truths therefrom, the Lord adjoins good.

For man does not see the goods that affect, because he reads it from the understanding, and the understanding takes from it nothing but its own things, which are truths. That good is adjoined to these by the Lord the understanding feels, from the delight that flows in when it is enlightened. But this does not take place interiorly with others than -

those who read it to the end that they may become wise; and the end of becoming wise is with those who wish to learn more of genuine truths there; and by means of them to form the church within themselves.

But they who read it only for the glory of erudition, and they who read it from an opinion that the mere reading or hearing of it inspires faith and conduces to salvation, do not receive any good from the Lord; because the end of these is to save themselves by the mere words, wherein is nothing of truth; and the end of those is to become eminent for learning, with which end there is no spiritual good conjoined, but only the natural delight that comes of worldly glory. Because the Word is the medium of conjunction it is called the covenant - Old and New - a covenant signifies conjunction.

(Conjugial Love 128)