LOVE TOWARDS THE NEIGHBOR, OR CHARITY (pt. 2)

The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
LOVE TOWARDS THE NEIGHBOR, OR CHARITY
(pt. 2)

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It is a common opinion at this day, that every man is equally the neighbor, and that benefits are to be conferred on everyone who needs assistance; but it is in the interest of Christian prudence to examine well the quality of a man's life, and to exercise charity to him accordingly.

The man of the internal church exercises his charity with discrimination, consequently with intelligence; but the man of the external church, because he is not able thus to discern things, does it indiscriminately.

(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 85)

• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the  Arcana Coelestia, because in the  Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained.  Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.

LOVE TOWARDS THE NEIGHBOR, OR CHARITY (pt. 1)

The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
LOVE TOWARDS THE NEIGHBOR, OR CHARITY
(pt. 1)

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It shall first be shown (in the following articles) what the neighbor is, for it is the neighbor who is to be loved, and towards whom charity is to be exercised. For unless it be known what the neighbor is, charity may be exercised in a similar manner, without distinction, towards the evil as well as towards the good, whence charity ceases to be charity: for the evil, from benefactions, do evil to the neighbor, but the good do good.

(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 84)

• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the  Arcana Coelestia, because in the  Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained.  Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.

THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD (pt. 13)

The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD
(pt. 13)

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The love of self and the love of the world are altogether opposite to love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor.

Wherefore the love of self and the love of the world are infernal loves, for they also reign in hell, and also constitute hell with man.

But love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor are heavenly loves. They also reign in heaven, and also constitute heaven with man.

...all evils are in and from those two loves; for the evils which were enumerated (in part 10) are common; the others, which were not enumerated, because they are specific, are derived and flow from them. Hence it may appear, that man, because he is born into these two loves, is born into evils of every kind.

In order that man may know evils, he ought to know their origins, and unless he knows evils, he cannot know goods, thus he cannot know of what quality he himself is: this is the reason that these two origins of evils are treated of here.

(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 78-80)

• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the  Arcana Coelestia, because in the  Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained.  Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.

THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD (pt. 12)

The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD
(pt. 12)

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The love of the world is not opposite to heavenly love in the same degree that the love of self is, inasmuch as such great evils are not concealed in it.

This love is manifold: -

• there is the love of riches as the means of obtaining honors
• there is the love of honors and dignities as the means of obtaining riches
• there is the love of riches for the sake of various uses with which they are delighted in the world
• there is the love of riches for the sake of riches alone, which is avarice, and so on.

The end for the sake of which riches are desired, is called their use, and it is the end or use from which the love derives its quality; for the quality of the love is the same as that at the end which it has in view, to which other things serve as means.

(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 77)

• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the  Arcana Coelestia, because in the  Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained.  Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.

THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD (pt. 11)

The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD
(pt. 11)

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The love of the world consists in wishing to draw the wealth of others to ourselves by any artifice, in placing the heart in riches, and in suffering the world to draw us back, and lead us away from spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor, consequently, from heaven.

They are in the love of the world who desire to draw the goods of others to themselves by various artifices, especially they who do so by means of cunning and deceit, making no account of the good of the neighbor.

They who are in that love covet the goods of others, and so far as they do not fear the laws and the loss of reputation for the sake of gain, they deprive others of their goods, yea commit depredations.

(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 76)

• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the  Arcana Coelestia, because in the  Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained.  Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.

THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD (pt. 10)

The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD
(pt. 10)

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The evils which belong to those who are in the love of self, are, in general:-

• contempt of others
• envy, enmity against those who do not favor them
• hostility on that account
• hatreds of various kinds
• revenge
• cunning
• deceit
• unmercifulness
• cruelty

Where such evils exist, there is also contempt of the Divine, and of Divine things, which are the truths and goods of the church. If they honor these, it is only with the mouth, and not with the heart. And because such evils are thence, so there are similar falsities, for falsities are from evils.

(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 75)

• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the  Arcana Coelestia, because in the  Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained.  Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.

THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD (pt. 9)

The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine
Emanuel Swedenborg
• Doctrinal Series •
THE LOVES OF SELF AND OF THE WORLD
(pt. 9)

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From [the previous articles] it is now known who are in the love of self. But it matters not how they appear in outward form - whether elated or humble - for such things are in the interior man. By most the interior man is concealed, and the exterior is instructed to feign the things which belong to love for the public and the neighbor, thus the opposite. And this is also done for the sake of self: for they know that the love of the public and the neighbor interiorly affect all, and that so far they will be loved and esteemed. The reason why that love affects all, is because heaven flows into it.

(The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 74)

• In the manuscript, the author, Emanuel Swedenborg, annexed to each section of the doctrine extracts from the  Arcana Coelestia, because in the  Arcana Coelestia the same things are more fully explained.  Arcana Coelestia is available in print or online.