The Acknowledgments In True Worship

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

All true worship consists in adoration of the Lord, adoration of the Lord in humiliation, and humiliation in one's acknowledgment that in himself there is nothing living, and nothing good, but that all within him is dead, yea, cadaverous; and in the acknowledgment that everything living and everything good is from the Lord. The more a man acknowledges these things, not with the mouth, but with the heart, the more he is in humiliation; and consequently the more he is in adoration, that is, in true worship, and the more he is in love and charity, and the more in happiness. The one is in the other, so conjoined as to be inseparable.

(from Arcana Coelestia 1153)

Doubting During Temptation

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

In all temptation there is somewhat of doubt concerning the Lord's presence and mercy, and concerning salvation and the like things.

Those who are in temptation are in interior anxiety, even to despair; in which they are for the most part kept, to the end -

that they may be at length confirmed in the fact that all things are of the Lord's mercy;
that they are saved by Him alone
that with themselves there is nothing but evil

in respect to which -

they are confirmed by means of conflicts in which they overcome.

After the temptation there remain from it many states of truth and good to which their thoughts may afterwards be bent by the Lord, which would otherwise rush into insane things, and draw away the mind into opposition to what is true and good.

(from Arcana Coelestia 2334)

The Word Being Opened to the Churches, and Afterwards Closed

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. 

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  (Matthew 22:35-40)

As regards the Word being opened to the churches, and being afterwards closed, the case is this:

In the beginning of the setting up of any church, the Word is at first closed to the men of it, and is afterwards opened, the Lord so providing; and thus they learn that all doctrine is founded on the two commandments — that the Lord is to be loved above all things, and the neighbor as themselves.  When these two commandments are regarded as the end, the Word is opened; for all the Law and the Prophets, that is, the whole Word, so depend on these commandments that all things are derived from them and therefore all have reference to them.  And whereas the men of the church are then in the principles of truth and good, they are enlightened in everything they see in the Word; for the Lord is then present with them by means of angels, and teaches them (although they are unaware of this), and also leads them into the life of truth and good.

This may be seen also from the case of all churches, in that they were such in their infancy, and worshiped the Lord from love, and loved the neighbor from the heart.

But in process of time churches withdraw from these two commandments, and turn aside from the good of love and charity to the so-called things of faith, thus from life to doctrine; and insofar as they do this, so far the Word is closed.

(Arcana Coelestia 3773)

Performing Offices of Charity

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry and fed Thee? or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger and gathered Thee? or naked and clothed Thee? When saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? But the King shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Insofar as ye did it to one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it to Me. (Matt. 25:44-45).

Lord, when saw we Thee hungry and fed Thee? or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger and gathered Thee? or naked and clothed Thee? When saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? signifies that if they had seen the Lord Himself, everyone of them would have performed these offices; yet not from love toward Him, but from fear because He was to be the judge of the universe; thus not for His sake, but for the sake of themselves; thus not from within or from the heart, but from without and in act only.

This is as when one sees a king whose favor he desires to gain, in order that he may become great or rich, and therefore bears himself submissively toward him. It is similar with those who are in holy external worship, in which they, as it were, see the Lord, and submit themselves to Him, believing that in this way they will receive eternal life; and yet they have no charity, and do no good to anyone except for their own sake, thus only to themselves. They are like persons who in outward form pay court to their king with much respect, and yet deride his commands because at heart they disregard him. These and similar things are what are signified by those on the right hand so answering; and as the evil also do the like things in outward form, therefore they who were on the left made nearly the same answer.

As therefore the Lord cares not for external but for internal things, and as man testifies to his internal things, not by worship only, but by charity and its acts, the Lord answered:

Verily I say to you, Insofar as ye did it to one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it to Me;

those are called "brethren" who are in the good of charity and of life; for the Lord is with them, because they are in good itself; and it is they who are properly meant by the neighbor. In these also the Lord does not manifest Himself, for in respect to Him, they are vile; but the man manifests himself before the Lord, in that he worships Him from within.

(from Arcana Coelestia 5066 - 5067)

To receive Divine truth is not only to have faith, but also to practice it, that is, to cause that which is of doctrine to become of the life. (n. 5068)

The Rebirth of Man by Means of Memory-knowledges

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

In Mark 4:26-29, the comparison with the blade, the ear*, and the corn, involves the rebirth of man by means of memory-knowledges, truths of faith, and goods of charity:

Jesus said, So is the kingdom of God, as when a man casteth seed upon the earth; then sleepeth and riseth night and day, but the seed germinates and grows while he knoweth not. For the earth beareth fruit of itself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come (Mark 4:26-29);

the "kingdom of God," which is compared to the blade, the ear, and the corn, is heaven in man through regeneration; for one who has been regenerated has the kingdom of God within him, and becomes in image the kingdom of God or heaven. The "blade" is the first memory-knowledge; the "ear" is the memory-knowledge of truth thence derived; the "corn" is the derivative good.

Moreover, the laws enacted in regard to gleanings (Lev. 19:9; 23:22), and in regard to the liberty of plucking the ears from the standing corn of the neighbor (Deut. 23:25), and also in regard to eating no bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the offering of God was brought (Lev. 23:14), represented such things as are signified by "ears."
***
* The reason why "ears" or spikes of corn signify memory-knowledges, is that "corn" signifies the good of the natural, because memory-knowledges are the containants of the good of the natural, as the ears are of the corn; for in general all truths are vessels of good, and so also are memory-knowledges, for these are lowest truths.

Lowest truths, or truths of the exterior natural, are called memory-knowledges, because they are in man's natural or external memory, and because they partake for the most part of the light of the world, and hence can be presented and represented to others by forms of words, or by ideas formed into words by means of such things as are of the world and its light.

The things in the inner memory, however, insofar as they partake of the light of heaven, are not called memory-knowledges, but truths; nor can they be understood except by means of this light, or expressed except by forms of words, or ideas formed into words, by means of such things as are of heaven and its light.
***
The memory-knowledges into which the things of faith and of charity can be applied are very many, such as all the memory-knowledges of the church which are signified by "Egypt" in a good sense; and consequently all those memory-knowledges which are truths about correspondences, representatives, significatives, influx, order, intelligence and wisdom, and the affections; and also all truths of inner and outer nature, both visible and invisible, because these correspond to spiritual truths.

(from Arcana Coelestia 5212 - 5214)

HOW [MY] WRITINGS SEEM TO BE RECEIVED BY MEN

Selection from Swedenborg's Spiritual Diary ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

I spoke with spirits [as to] how my writings concerning these things seem to be received when they become public; for evil spirits sometimes infused that no one would perceive these things, but that [men] would reject them. Now while in the street and talking with spirits, it was given to perceive that there are five kinds of reception:

• First, [those] who wholly reject, who are in another persuasion, and who are enemies of the faith. These reject; for it cannot be received by them, since it [can] not penetrate their minds.

• Another class, who can receive these things as scientifics*, and are delighted with them as scientifics, and as curious things.

• A third class, which receives, intellectually, so that they receive with sufficient alacrity (Cheerful willingness; eagerness), but still remain [in respect to] life as before.

• A fourth class [receives] persuasively, so that it penetrates to the improvement of their lives; they recur to these in certain states, and make use of them.

•A fifth class, who receive with joy, and are confirmed. - 1748, August 27.

(Spiritual Diary 2955)

* Scientifics. Scientifica. All the things which are learned and stored up in the memory, and which can be called forth from it for the use of the sight of the mind, are called scientifics, and in themselves are the things which constitute the intellectual part of the natural or external man. ... In the Natural, there are scientifics of various kinds: there are scientifics relating to earthly, corporeal and worldly things; these are the lowest, for they are immediately from external sensual things or the things of the body: there are scientifics relating to the civil state, its government, statutes, and laws; these are a little more interior: there are scientifics relating to the things of moral life; these are more interior still; but those which relate to spiritual life, are the most interior of all. These are the truths of the Church, which, so far as they are only from doctrine, are nothing more than scientifics; but when they are from the good of love, then they ascend above scientifics, for then they are in spiritual light, from which light they view scientifics in their order beneath them. Man, by such degrees of scientifics, ascends to intelligence; for scientifics, through those degrees open the mind so that light from the spiritual world can flow in. - (Glossary of Terms and Phrases Used by Swedenborg John Stuart Bogg)

The truths of the Church in the natural —
In the natural there are memory-knowledges of various kinds: there are memory-knowledges about earthly, bodily, and worldly things, which are the lowest, for these are immediately from the things of the external senses, or of the body; there are memory-knowledges about the civil state, its government, statutes, and laws, which are a little more interior; there are memory-knowledges about the things of moral life, which are more interior still. But the memory-knowledges which belong to spiritual life are more interior than all the former. These latter are truths of the church, which insofar as they are only from doctrine with a man, are nothing but memory-knowledges; but when they are from the good of love, they then rise above memory-knowledges, for they are then in spiritual light, from which they look at memory-knowledges in their order beneath them. By means of such degrees of memory-knowledges a man mounts to intelligence, for by means of these degrees memory-knowledges open the mind so that light from the spiritual world can flow in. From all this it is now evident what is meant by the presence of truths in the natural.

(from Arcana Coelestia 5934)

Heaven and Earth Joined

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

It has been necessary that of the Lord's Divine Providence some revelation should come into existence, for -

a revelation or Word is the general recipient vessel of spiritual and celestial things, thus conjoining heaven and earth; and that without it they would have been disjoined, and the human race would have perished.

And besides, it is necessary that there should be heavenly truths somewhere, by which man may be instructed, because he was born for heavenly things, and, after the life of the body, ought to come among those who are heavenly; for -

the truths of faith are the laws of order in the kingdom in which he is to live forever.

(Arcana Coelestia 1775)