The Feast of June 19

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

— SUMMARIES —

1. There have been four Churches on this earth since the time of the creation: a First, which is to be called the Adamic; a Second, the Noachian; a Third, the Israelitish; and a Fourth, the Christian.

2. There have been four Periods, or successive States, of each Church, which in the Word are meant by "morning," "day," "evening," and "night."

3. In each Church the four changes of states have been consecutive; the first of which has been the Appearing of the Lord Jehovih and Redemption, and then was its Morning, or Rise; the second has been its Instruction, and then was Mid-day, or Progression; the third has been its Decline, and then was its Evening, or Vastation; the fourth has been its End, and then was its Night, or Consummation. After its End, or Consummation, the Lord Jehovih appears and executes a judgment on the men of the former Church, and separates the good from the evil, and raises the good to Himself Into heaven, and removes the evil from Himself into hell.  After these things, of the good raised to Himself He forms a new heaven, and of the evil removed from Himself, a new hell; and in both He establishes order, so that they may remain under His control and under obedience to Him to eternity; and then through the new heaven He successively inaugurates and establishes a New Church on earth.  From this new heaven, the Lord Jehovih derives and produces a New Church on earth; which takes place by means of a Revelation from His mouth or from His Word, and by inspiration.

4. These periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the first, or Most Ancient Church, which was the Adamic, are described by Moses in the first chapters of Genesis; but by celestial representatives, and by other things, belonging to the world, to which spiritual things correspond.

5. The periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the second, or Ancient Church, which was the Noachian, are also described in Genesis, and here and there in the four remaining books of Moses

6. The periodical changes of state which occurred in succession in the third Church, which was the Israelitish, are also described in Moses, and afterwards in Joshua, in the Books of the Judges, of Samuel, and of the Kings, and likewise in the Prophets.

7. The periodical changes which occurred in succession in the fourth Church, which is the Christian, are described in the Word of both Testaments; its Rise, or Morning, in particular, in the Evangelists, and in the Acts and writings of the Apostles; its Progression towards Noon-day, in the ecclesiastical history of the first three centuries; its Decline, or Evening, by the history of the centuries immediately following; and its Vastation even to Consummation, which is its Night, in the Apocalypse.

8. After those four Churches, a New one is to arise which will be TRULY CHRISTIAN, foretold in Daniel and in the Apocalypse, and by the Lord Himself in the Evangelists, and looked for by the Apostles.

* * * * * * *

9. The Church successively declines from the truths of faith and the goods of charity, and it declines in the same proportion also from the spiritual understanding and genuine sense of the Word.

10. Consequently, the Church departs in the same proportion from the Lord, and removes Him from itself.

11. In proportion as this is effected, it tends towards its end.

12. It is the end of the Church, when there remains no longer any truth of faith or genuine good of charity.

13. The Church is then in falsities and the evils therefrom, and in evils and the falsities therefrom.

14. Hence, from the deceased out of the world hell increases, so that it raises itself up towards heaven, and interposes itself between heaven and the Church, like a black cloud between the sun and the earth.

15. This interposition prevents the access of any truth of faith, and thence any genuine good of charity, to the men of the Church; but, instead of them, falsified truth, which in itself is falsity, and adulterated good, which in itself is not good.

16. Then naturalism and atheism take possession together.

17. This state of the Church is meant and described in the Word, by "Vastation," "Desolation" and "Consummation."

* * * * * * *

18. While Vastation lasts, and before Consummation supervenes, the Lord's Advent is announced, also Redemption by the Lord, and after this there is a New Church.

19. While the Israelitish Church still endured, these three were announced in many passages of the Word in the Prophets.

20. The Coming of the Lord.

21. Redemption.

22. A New Church.  Almost everywhere in the prophetic Word, Vastation and Consummation, also the Last Judgment, the Lord's Coming, a New Church, and Redemption, are treated of.

* * * * * * *

23. As regards Redemption in particular, through which alone Salvation takes place, it was accomplished by Jehovah God incarnate, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.

24. The first part of Redemption was a total subjugation of the hells.

25. The second part of Redemption was the separation of the evil from the good, and the casting down of the evil into hell and the raising of the good into heaven.

26. And, lastly, there is the arrangement in order of all in hell, and the arrangement in order of all in heaven.

27. And then, at the same time, Instruction concerning the truths which are to be of faith, and the goods which are to be of charity.

28. And thus the Establishment of a New Church.

29. The final and efficient Cause of Redemption was the Regeneration of man, and thereby salvation.

30. The Lord, because He is the only Redeemer, is therefore the only Regenerator, and thus the only Saviour.

* * * * * * *

31. By His first Advent, and the Redemption then wrought, the Lord was not able to form a new heaven of Christians, and from that a New Church, because there were as yet no Christians, but they came into existence gradually through the preachings and writings of the Apostles.

32. Neither was He able afterwards, since from the beginning so many heresies broke forth that scarcely any doctrine of faith appeared in its own light.

33. And at length the Apostolic Doctrine was increasingly torn, rent asunder, and adulterated by abominable heresies.

34. This is meant by "the abomination of desolation," and by "the affliction such as was not, either will be," and by "the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars," in the Evangelists, in Daniel, and also in the Prophets; likewise by "the Dragon" and many other things, in the Apocalypse.

35. Because the Lord foresaw these things, therefore of necessity if man were to be saved, He promised that He would come again into the world and accomplish a Redemption, and would thus institute a New Church, which would be truly Christian.

36. The Lord Himself foretold His Second Coming, and the Apostles frequently prophesied respecting it, and John openly so in the Apocalypse;

37. In like manner respecting the New Church which is meant by the "New Jerusalem" in the Apocalypse.

38. This Second Redemption was effected in the same way as the first (of which above, from n. 23 to 30),

39. And also for the sake of the Regeneration, and hence the Salvation, of the men of the Church, as its final and efficient cause.

* * * * * * *

40. The falsities which have hitherto desolated, and have at length consummated, the Christian Church, were chiefly the following:

41. They receded from the worship of the Lord, preached by the Apostles, and from faith in Him. They separated the Divine Trinity from the Lord, and transferred it to three Divine Persons from eternity, consequently to three Gods.

42. They divided saving faith among these three Persons.

43. They separated charity and good works from that faith, as not at the same time saving.

44. They deduced justification-that is, remission of sins, regeneration, and salvation-from that faith alone, independently of man's co-operation.

45. They denied to man free-determination in spiritual things, thus asserting that God alone operates in man, and that man on his part does nothing.

46. From this necessarily flowed forth Predestination, by which religion is abolished.

47. They decreed that the Passion of the Cross is Redemption.

48. From these heresies, falsities burst forth in such abundance that there does not remain a single genuine truth which is not falsified, nor, consequently, a single genuine good which is not adulterated.

49. The Church knows absolutely nothing about this, its Desolation and Consummation, nor can it know, until the Divine Truths announced by the Lord in the work entitled THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, are seen in light and acknowledged. The Word is thus obscured and darkened, so that not a single truth any longer appears in it.

50. For many reasons this New Christian Church is not being established through any miracles, as the former was.

51. But, instead of them, the spiritual sense of the Word is revealed, and the spiritual world disclosed, and the nature of both heaven and hell manifested; also, that man lives as a man after death; which things surpass all miracles.

* * * * * * *

52. This NEW TRULY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, which is at this day being established by the Lord, will endure to eternity, as is proved from the Word of both Testaments; also it was foreseen from the creation of the world; and it will be the Crown of the four preceding Churches, because it will have TRUE FAITH and TRUE CHARITY.

53. In this New Church there will be spiritual peace, which is "glory," and internal blessedness of life, as is also proved from the Word of both Testaments.

54. These things will exist in this New Church, by reason of its conjunction with the Lord, and through Him with God the Father.

55. An invitation addressed to this Church and to the whole Christian world; and an exhortation to worthily receive the Lord, who has Himself foretold that He would come into the world for the sake of this Church and to it.

LASTLY, ABOUT MIRACLES —

1. Miracles were performed in the Church before the Lord's Advent, because, at that time, men were external, or natural, and could not be led to their representative worship except by miracles. The Miracles performed in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the land of Canaan, and even to the present time, are to be enumerated. And that, yet, they never influence men.

2. After the Lord's Advent, when man from external became internal, and when the capacity of being able to know was imparted to man, miracles were withheld. Also, if that capacity were impeded, man would become more external than before.

3. Miracles would abolish worship truly Divine, and introduce the former idolatrous worship; as also has taken lace for very many centuries back. Nevertheless, the latter have not been Divine miracles, but such as were wrought by the magicians of old.

4. At this day, in place of miracles, there has taken place a manifestation of the Lord Himself, an intromission into the spiritual world, and enlightenment there, by immediate light from the Lord, in such things as are the interior things of the Church. But, above all, the opening of the spiritual sense in the Word, in which the Lord is in His own Divine light.

5. These Revelations are not miracles; since every man is in the spiritual world as to his spirit, without any separation from his body in the natural world - I, however, with a certain separation, though only as to the intellectual part of my mind, but not as to the voluntary; - and as regards the spiritual sense, the Lord through it is with all who approach Him in faith in the above light; also, through that sense He is in man's natural light.

(Summary from Appendix to True Christian Religion

~~~

I was seeing in the night vision; and behold there was coming with the clouds of the heavens, one like unto the Son of man. And unto Him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; and all people, nations, and tongues shall worship Him. His dominion is the dominion of an age which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not perish. Daniel 7:13, 14

I John saw a new heaven and a new earth. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from God out of Heaven made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And an angel spake with me, saying, Come, I will show thee the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit upon a mountain great and high, and showed me a great city, the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. He who sitteth upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:1, 2, 5, 9, 10

What this church is to be is fully described in the Apocalypse, where the end of the former church and the beginning of the new are treated of. This New Church is described by the New Jerusalem, by its magnificence, and by its being the future bride and wife of the Lamb

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife  Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9.

Besides these I will cite only the following quotation from the Apocalypse: When the New Jerusalem was seen descending from heaven it was said:

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His peoples, Himself shall be with them, their God.

And the nations that are saved shall walk in the light of it; and there shall be no night there.

I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let them come. And he that wisheth, let him take the water of life freely.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. Revelation 21:3, 24-25; 22:16-17, 20.

NOTE:  After this work — THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION Containing THE UNIVERSAL THEOLOGY Of THE NEW CHURCH FORETOLD BY THE LORD IN DANIEL 7:13, 14; AND IN REVELATION 21:1, 2 — was finished the Lord called together His twelve disciples who followed Him in the world; and the next day He sent them all forth throughout the whole spiritual world to preach the Gospel that THE LORD GOD JESUS CHRIST reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages and ages, according to the prediction in Daniel (7:13, 14), and in Revelation  -

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (11:15)

Also that blessed are those that come to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9).

This took place on the nineteenth day of June, 1770. This is what is meant by these words of the Lord:

He shall send His angels and they shall gather together His elect, from the end of the heavens to the end thereof (Matt. 24:31).

(True Christian Religion 790, 791)

Everyone Ought To Be Led to Christian Good

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

How long do ye refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?

Everything that is done according to Divine order is inwardly open even to the Lord, and thus has heaven in it; but everything that is not done according to Divine order is inwardly closed, and thus has not heaven in it.

Therefore Divine order is for the Lord to flow in through the interiors of man into his exteriors, thus through the will of man into his action. This takes place when the man is in good, that is, when he is in the affection of doing good for the sake of good, and not for the sake of himself. When a man does good for the sake of himself, and not for the sake of good, his interiors are closed, and he cannot be led of the Lord by means of heaven, but he is led by himself. The love determines by whom he is led, for everyone is led by his love. He who loves himself more than his neighbor, leads himself; but he who loves good is led by good, consequently by the Lord from whom is good.

From all this it can be seen what the difference is between living according to order, and not living according to it. How a man must live for it to be according to order, the Word teaches, and the doctrine of faith from the Word. He who does not look beyond external things cannot possibly apprehend this; for he knows not what that which is internal is, scarcely that there is anything internal, and still less that this internal can be opened, and that when it is opened, heaven is therein. The intelligent of the world are especially in this ignorance, and those of them who hold that there is something internal, nevertheless have no idea, or a fatuous idea, about it. Hence it is that they believe but little, and moreover apply their knowledges to confirm that all things are of nature.

~~~

Everyone ought to be led to Christian good, which is called "charity," through the truth of faith; for the truth of faith will teach not only what charity is, but also what its nature must be; and unless he learns this first from the doctrine of his church (for he cannot possibly know it from himself), he cannot be prepared and thus adapted to receive this good.

For example: he must know from the doctrine of faith, that it is not of charity to do what is good for the sake of self, or for the sake of recompense, thus not to merit salvation through works of charity; he must also know that all the good of charity is from the Lord, and nothing at all from self; besides many other things which instruct what charity is, and what its quality must be.

From these considerations it can be seen that a man cannot be led to Christian good except through the truths which are of faith.

A man must know further that truths do not of themselves enter into good, but that good adopts truths and adjoins them to itself; for the truths of faith lie in the memory of a man as in a field extended beneath the interior sight. Good from the Lord flows in through this sight, and chooses from them, and conjoins with itself, the truths which are in agreement with it. The truths which lie beneath cannot flow into the good which is above; for it is quite contrary to order, and even impossible, for the lower to flow into the higher.

From all this it can now be known how Christian good is born with a man when he is being regenerated, and therefore also what must be the quality of the man when he has been regenerated, namely, that he acts from good, but not from truth; that is, that he is led of the Lord by means of good, and no longer by means of truth; for he is then in charity, that is, in the affection of doing this good. All who are in heaven are so led, for this is according to Divine order; and thus all things which they think and act flow as it were spontaneously and from freedom. It would be quite different if they were to think from truth and to act from it; for then they would think whether a thing ought to be so done, or not, and they would thus come to a standstill in every detail, and thereby would obscure the light they have, and finally they would act according to those things which they themselves love, thus according to influx from those things which favor their loves, which is to be led by themselves, and not by the Lord.

(from Arcana Coelestia 8513; 8516)

The Lord Works Through Charity

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

It is utterly useless for a man to know many things if he does not live according to what he knows...

"Japheth" is signified a corresponding external church — an external church, namely, external worship, and thus those who do not know what the internal man is, nor anything that belongs to the internal man, and yet live in charity. With these the Lord is equally present, for the Lord works through charity, wherever charity exists.

The case in this respect is the same as it is with little children, with whom, although they do not know what charity is, still less what faith is, the Lord is nevertheless much more present than with adults, especially when the little children live together in charity. And the case is the same with the simple who have innocence, charity, and mercy.

It is utterly useless for a man to know many things if he does not live according to what he knows. For knowing has no other end than that the man may thereby become good. When he has become good, he has much more than one who knows innumerable things and yet is not good; for what the latter seeks by much knowledge, the former already has. Very different, however, is the case with one who knows many truths and goods, and at the same time has charity and conscience; for such a one is a man of the internal church, or "Shem."

Those who know little and yet have conscience are enlightened in the other life, insomuch that they become angels, and possess wisdom and intelligence inexpressible. These are signified by "Japheth."

(from Arcana Coelestia 1100)

Worship that Goes Back from What is Holy

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

WHAT IS BENEATH THE MOUNTAINS
THAT IS
WHAT IS LOWER IN WORSHIP

EXTERNAL WORSHIP WHEREIN IS WHAT IS PROFANE

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. Genesis 11:2

THE DECLINE OF THE CHURCH
JOURNEY — THE MODES AND ORDER OF LIFE

They journeyed from the east, that is, they began to go back from charity; for insofar as the church, or a man of the church, goes back from charity, so far his worship goes back from what is holy, or in other words, so far his worship approaches what is unclean and profane. That their having found a valley in the land of Shinar signifies the decline of the church, or of worship, to what is profane, is because a valley is a low place between mountains, by which are signified the holy things of love or of charity in worship.

~~~

WHEN FALSITIES HAD BEGUN TO REIGN
AND IN FACT FROM CUPIDITIES

There are two beginnings of falsities, one from ignorance of truth, the other from cupidities.

Falsity from ignorance of truth is not so pernicious as falsity from cupidities. For the falsity of ignorance arises either from one's having been so instructed from childhood, or from having been diverted by various occupations so that one has not examined whether what professes to be true is really so, or from not having had much faculty of judging concerning what is true and what is false. The falsities from these sources do not inflict much harm, provided the man has not much confirmed and thus persuaded himself, being incited thereto by some cupidity so as to defend the falsities; for by doing this he would make the cloud of ignorance dense, and turn it into darkness so that he could not see the truth.

But the falsity of cupidities exists when the origin of the falsity is the cupidity or love of self and of the world; as when one seizes upon some point of doctrine and professes it in order to captivate minds and lead them, and explains or perverts the doctrine in favor of self, and confirms it both by reasonings from memory-knowledges, and by the literal sense of the Word. The worship derived from this is profane, however holy it may outwardly appear; for inwardly it is not the worship of the Lord, but the worship of self. Nor does such a man acknowledge anything as true except insofar as he can explain it so as to favor himself. Such worship is that which is signified by "Babel."

But the case is different with those who have been born and brought up in such worship, and who do not know that it is false, and who live in charity. In their ignorance there is innocence, [a willingness to be led by the Lord and not by oneself, Heaven and Hell 281; 341] and in their worship there is good from charity. The profanity in worship is not predicated so much from the worship itself, as from the quality of the man who is in the worship.

(selections from Arcana Coelestia 1289-1295)

What are your works?

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

That this signifies about services and uses, is evident from the signification of "works," as being goods —

What are your works? That this signifies, and to know your goods, is evident from the signification of "works," as being goods. That "works" are goods is because they are from the will, and things from the will are good or evil, but things from the understanding, such as discourse, are true or false.

The works of the sons of Jacob, and also the works of their fathers, were to pasture cattle, thus to act as shepherds. These works also signify goods, specifically goods from truths. That they have this signification is from correspondences, for lambs, sheep, kids, and goats, which are of the flock, correspond to the goods of charity; in like manner bullocks and oxen, which are of the herd. That they correspond is evident from the fact that when from heavenly affection the angels are conversing together about the goods of charity, there appear in some places in the world of spirits, and also in the first or ultimate heaven, flocks and herds-flocks, when they are speaking of the interior goods of charity; and herds when of the exterior goods.

For this reason it is that in the Word such things are signified by "flocks and herds." In general be it known that every significative in the Word derives its origin from representatives in the other life, and these from correspondences. The reason is that the natural world is from the spiritual world as an effect from its cause, to the end that the spiritual world may flow into the natural world and there act as the causes. In this way also all things of this world are held together in their tenor and in order.

(That universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord's kingdom, that is, of the spiritual and heavenly things therein.) (n. 6048)

thus services and uses, for these are goods.

All the goods which are called goods of charity are nothing but uses, and uses are nothing but works for the neighbor, for our country, for the church, for the Lord's kingdom. Moreover regarded in itself charity itself does not become charity until it comes into act and becomes work. For to love anyone, and not do him good when we have the power, is not to love him — but to do him good when we have the power, and to do it from our hearts, this is to love him; and then all things of charity toward him are contained within the very deed or work; for a man's works are the complex of all things of his charity and faith, and are what are called spiritual goods, and indeed become goods by exercise, that is, by means of uses.

As the angels who are in heaven are in good from the Lord, they long for nothing more than to perform uses. These are the very delights of their life, and it is also according to uses that they enjoy bliss and happiness, which likewise the Lord teaches in Matthew:

The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then shall He render to everyone according to his works (Matt. 16:27);

by "works" here are not meant works such as they appear in the outward form, but such as they are in their inward form, namely, such as is the charity contained in them; the angels regard works in no other way.

And because a man's works are the complex of all things of his charity and faith, and the life causes charity to be charity and faith to be faith, thus good, therefore the Lord loved John more than the rest of His disciples, and he lay on His breast at supper (John 21:20); for by him were represented the goods or works of charity; for which reason also the Lord said unto him, "Follow Me," and not to Peter, by whom was represented faith. Wherefore faith, which is "Peter," said with indignation, "Lord, what shall this man do? Jesus said unto him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me" (John 21:21-23). By this was also foretold that faith would despise works, and yet that these are near the Lord, as may also be clearly seen from the Lord's words to the sheep and to the goats (Matt. 25:34-46), wherein nothing but works are recounted. And that faith would reject the Lord is evident from the representation by Peter when he denied Him thrice; that he did this at night, signifies the last time of the church, when there is no longer any charity; that he did it thrice signifies that this condition is then complete; that it was before the cock crew, signifies before newness of the church would arise, for the twilight and morning which follow the night signify the first of the church.

(from Arcana Coelestia 6073)

Through the Faith of Charity

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Through the church those are saved who are out of the church. No others are in the faith of charity than those within the church, for the faith of charity is truth of doctrine adjoined to good of life. The case is this: The Lord's kingdom on earth consists of all those who are in good, who though scattered over the whole earth, are still one, and as members constitute one body. Such is the Lord's kingdom in the heavens, where the whole heaven represents one man, which is therefore also called the Grand Man, and what is wonderful and hitherto unknown, all parts of the human body correspond to societies in heaven.

THE SOCIETIES WHICH CONSTITUTE HEAVEN

There are three heavens: the First is the abode of good spirits, the Second of angelic spirits, and the Third of angels. And one heaven is more interior and pure than another, so that they are most distinct. Each heaven, the first, the second, and the third, is distinguished into innumerable societies; and each society consists of many individuals, who by their harmony and unanimity constitute as it were one person; and all the societies together are as one man. The societies are distinct from one another according to the differences of mutual love, and of faith in the Lord. These differences are so innumerable that not even the most universal genera of them can be computed; and there is not the least of difference that is not disposed in most perfect order, so as to conspire most harmoniously to a common unity, and the common unity to unanimity of individuals, and thereby to the happiness of all from each, and of each from all. Each angel and each society is therefore an image of the universal heaven, and is as it were a little heaven.     (n. 684)

And therefore it is sometimes said that some societies belong to the province of the head, some to the province of the eye, others to that of the chest, and so on, which correspondence will of the Lord's Divine mercy be spoken of by itself.

The case is the same with the Lord's church on earth, where the church is like the heart and lungs; while those outside the church answer to the parts of the body which are supported and live from the heart and lungs. Hence it is manifest that without a church somewhere on the earth the human race could not subsist, as the body could not without the heart and lungs. From this cause it is that whenever any church is consummated, that is, becomes no church because there is no longer any charity, a new one is of the Lord's providence always raised up; as when the Most Ancient Church called "Man" perished, a new one was created by the Lord, which was called "Noah," and was the Ancient Church that was after the flood; and when this degenerated and became none, the Jewish and Israelitish representative Church was instituted; and when this became altogether extinct, the Lord then came into the world, and set up again a new one; and this for the purpose that there might be conjunction of heaven with the human race through the church.

(from Arcana Coelestia 2853)

Knowing whether Faith is a belief in Truth and Love a love of Good

Selection from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

WHEN FAITH SEPARATED FROM THE LIFE, CORROBORATED
AND ESTABLISHED BY REASONINGS FROM THE NATURAL MAN
IT FOLLOWS THAT TO SUCH A FAITH DOMINATION IS GIVEN
OVER ALL THINGS OF THE CHURCH AND ITS DOCTRINE

It is evident that domination was given to this faith, since faith alone is the universal prevailing principle in the churches; for it has been taken to be the essential means of salvation, as is clearly evident from the doctrines of the churches, as well as from the verbal profession of the men of the church, and in general from their lives; also from this, that they do not know what charity and love are, consequently what works are. And as such is the domination of faith separate, so it has domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and extinguishes them by falsifying, perverting, and adulterating them; for where that faith rules there is no longer anything good, and thence no truth.

It is known that faith from love is the essential means of salvation, and thus is the principle of the doctrine of the church; but since it is important to know how a man can be in such enlightenment as to learn the truths that must constitute his faith and in such affection as to do the goods that must constitute his love, and thus can know whether his faith is a belief in truth and his love a love of good, this shall be told in its proper order, as follows:

(1) Let him read the Word every day, one or two chapters, and learn from a master and from preachings the dogmas of his religion; and especially let him learn that God is one, and that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth (John 3:35; 17:2; Matt. 11:27; 28:18), that the Word is holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death.

(2) Let him learn from the Word, from a master, and from preachings, what works are sins, and that they are especially adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness, and the others mentioned in the Decalogue; likewise that lascivious and obscene thoughts are also adulteries, that frauds and illicit gains are also thefts, that hatred and revenge are also murders, and that lies and blasphemies are also false witness; and so on. Let him learn all these things from childhood to youth.

(3) When man begins to think for himself, which is the case after he has grown up, it must be to him the first and chief thing to refrain from doing evils for the reason that they are sins against the Word, thus against God, and for the reason that if he does them he will gain, not life eternal, but hell; and afterwards as he grows up and becomes old he must shun them as damned, and must turn away from them in thought and intention. But in order to so refrain from them and shun and turn away from them, he must pray to the Lord for help. The sins he must refrain from and must shun and turn away from are chiefly adulteries, frauds, illicit gains, hatreds, revenges, lies, blasphemies, and elation of mind.

(4) So far as man detests these evils because they are opposed to the Word, and thence opposed to God, so far there is granted him communication with the Lord, and conjunction is effected with heaven. For the Lord enters, and with the Lord heaven enters, as sins are removed; since these and their falsities are the sole hindrances. The reason is because man has been placed in the midst between heaven and hell, wherefore hell acts from the one side, and heaven from the other; therefore so far as evils that are from hell are removed, so far goods from heaven enter; for the Lord says:

Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hear and open the door, I will come in to him (Rev. 3:20).

But if man refrains from doing these evils for any other reason than because they are sins, and are opposed to the Word and because thence to God, no conjunction of heaven with him is effected, because his refraining is from self, and not from the Lord. The Lord is in the Word, even so that He is called the Word (John 1:1-4), because the Word is from Him; consequently the conjunction of heaven with the man of the church is by means of the Word.

(5) So far, then, as man detests these sins so far good affections enter. Then so far as he detests adulteries so far chastity enters; so far as he detests frauds and unlawful gains so far sincerity and justice enter; so far as he detests hatred and revenge so far charity enters; so far as he detests lies and blasphemies so far truth enters; and so far as he detests elation of mind so far humility before God and love of the neighbor as oneself enter; and so on. From this it follows that to shun evils is to do goods.

(6) So far as a man is in these good affections he is led by the Lord and not by self; and so far as he acts from them so far he does what is good, because he does this from the Lord and not from self; and then he acts from chastity, from sincerity and justice, from charity, from truth, in humility before God; and from these no one can act from self.

(7) The spiritual affections that are granted by the Lord to him who is in them and who acts from them, are the affection of knowing and understanding the truths and goods of heaven and the church, together with the affection of willing and doing them; also the affection of combating with zeal against falsities and evils and dispersing them, both with himself and with others. From this man has faith and love, and from this he has intelligence and wisdom.

(8) Thus and in no other way is man reformed; and so far as he knows and believes truths, and wills and does them, so far is he regenerated, and from natural becomes spiritual. The like is true of his faith and his love.

If evils have not been removed because they are sins nothing that a man thinks, speaks, wills, and does, is good or true before God, however it may appear as if good and true before the world. The reason is that they are not from the Lord but from man, since it is the love of the man and of the world from which they are, and which is in them. Most people at this day believe that they will come into heaven if they have faith, live piously, and do goods; and yet they do not turn away from evils because they are sins, consequently they either do them or believe them to be allowable; and those who believe them to be allowable do them when opportunity is given. But let them know that their faith is not faith, that their pious things are not pious, and that their goods are not goods; for they flow from the impurities that lie inwardly concealed with man; and externals derive everything that they are from internals. For the Lord says:

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may become clean also (Matt. 22:26).

From this it can now be seen that if a man were able to fulfill all things of the law, if he should give much to the poor, if he should do good to the fatherless and the widow, and if he should also give bread to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, take in the strangers, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and go to them that are bound in prison, if he should earnestly preach the Gospel, convert the Gentiles, frequent temples, listen devoutly to preachings, observe the sacrament of the Supper often every year, spend his time in prayer, and other things; and his internal has not been purified from hatred and revenge, from craftiness and malice, from insincerity and injustice, from the filthy delight of adultery, from the love of self and the consequent love of rule, and the pride of self-intelligence, from contempt of others in comparison with oneself, and from the other evils and their falsities; still all these works would be hypocritical and from the man himself, and not from the Lord.

And yet these same works, when the internal has been purified, are all good, because they are from the Lord with man, and since the man is in the faith and in the love of doing these works he will do them as a matter of course. This has been proved to me by a thousand examples in the spiritual world. I have there heard that it has been granted to many to recall the actions of their life in the world, and to enumerate the goods they had done; but when their internal was opened it was found to be full of every evil and the falsity therefrom; and it was then disclosed to them that the goods they had enumerated had been done from self, because for the sake of self and the world, and that they were full of evils from their interiors; and on this account they appeared either as if scorched with fire, or as if sooty.

But it was otherwise with those who from the Word had abstained from doing evils, and had afterwards shunned them and turned away from them because they were sins and were opposed to love to God and to charity towards the neighbor. Although there was a similar perception to them that their works were done as if from self, yet they were all good, and appeared in the light of heaven like white snow and wool (Isaiah 1:12-18). These are the works that are meant in the Word by the works that can in no wise be separated from faith; for faith separated from them is dead, and a dead faith is a faith in falsity from an evil love; or it is the thought that a thing is true, while the life is still evil.

That abstaining from evils for any reason whatever except from the Word does not purify the internal man is evident from the origin of evil works and from the origin of good works. For example, he that abstains from adulteries from fear of the civil law and its punishments, from fear of the loss of reputation and thus of honor, from fear of deprivations arising from poverty, parsimony, or avarice, from fear of consequent illness, from fear of brawls at home with the wife and the consequent intranquility of life, from fear of chastisement by the servants of the injured husband, from infirmity arising from abuse, or age, or impotence, or even from natural goodness and consequent moral goodness, that is, as not being proper and honorable, and so on, and if for such reasons only he lives chastely still he is interiorly unchaste and an adulterer, so long as he does not abstain from these evils from spiritual faith, which is a belief that adulteries are infernal because they are contrary to the Divine Law, and thus contrary to the fear of God and to love of the neighbor. And so in all other cases.

From what has now been presented it can be seen what the internal and the external are, also what faith and love are, namely, that faith and love are with man when his internal has been purified from evils in the manner just described, and that they are not in him if it be not purified, and that where faith and love are, there is heaven, and where faith and love are not, there is hell.

(from Apocalypse Explained 803)