When There is No Conscience

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

A church is said to be corrupted when it acknowledges the Word and has a certain worship like that of a true church, but yet separates faith from charity, thus from its essential and from its life — whereby faith becomes a kind of dead affair — the result of which necessarily is that the church is corrupted. What the men of the church then become, is evident from the consideration that they can have no conscience;

for conscience that is really conscience cannot possibly exist except from charity. Charity is what makes conscience, that is, the Lord through charity.

What else is conscience than not to do evil to anyone in any way; that is, to do well to all in every way? Thus conscience belongs to charity, and never to faith separated from charity. If such persons have any conscience, it is a false conscience; and because they are without conscience, they rush into all wickedness, so far as outward bonds are relaxed. They do not even know what charity is, except that it is a word significant of something. And as they are without charity, they do not know what faith is. When questioned, they can only answer that it is a kind of thinking; some, that it is confidence; others, that it is the knowledges of faith; a few, that it is life according to these knowledges, and scarcely any that it is a life of charity or of mutual love. And if this is said to them, and opportunity is given them for reflection, they answer only that all love begins from self, and that he is worse than a heathen who does not take care of himself and his own family. They therefore study nothing but themselves and the world. Hence it comes to pass that they live in their Own...

... those who separate faith from charity and hence make worship consist in externals alone, cannot know what and whence is conscience, needs to be briefly shown.

Conscience is formed by means of the truths of faith, for that which a man has heard, acknowledged, and believed makes the conscience in him;

and afterwards to act contrary to this is to him to act contrary to conscience, as may be sufficiently evident to everyone; so that unless it is the truths of faith that a man hears, acknowledges, and believes, he cannot possibly have a true conscience. For it is through the truths of faith (the Lord working in charity) that man is regenerated, and therefore it is through the truths of faith that he receives conscience, conscience being the new man himself. From this it is evident that the truths of faith are the means by which this may take place, that is, that the man may live according to what faith teaches, the principal of which is to love the Lord above all things, and the neighbor as himself.

If he does not so live, what is his faith but an empty affair, and a mere high-sounding word, or a thing that is separated from heavenly life, and in which when thus separated there is no possible salvation?

For to believe that no matter how a man lives, he may yet be saved provided he has faith, is to say that he may be saved if he has no charity, and no conscience (that is, if he passes his life in hatred, revenge, robbery, adultery, in a word, in all things contrary to charity and conscience) provided only that he has faith, even if it be but at the hour of death.

Let such persons consider, when they are in such a false principle, what truth of faith there is that can form their conscience, and whether it be not what is false.

If they suppose that they have anything of conscience, it must be only outward bonds - such as fear of the law, of loss of honor, of gain, or of reputation for the sake of these - that make, with them, what they call conscience, and which lead them not to injure the neighbor, but to do him good. But as this is not conscience, because not charity, therefore when these restraints are loosened or taken away, such persons rush into most wicked and obscene things.

Very different is the case with those who, although they have declared that faith alone saves, have still lived a life of charity; for in their faith there has been charity from the Lord.

... the internal man is charity, never faith without charity; so that he who is destitute of charity can have no other worship than external worship without internal. ...

... those who are in faith separated from charity [see] his errors and perversions; for they who are of this character see nothing else in a man; whereas - very differently - those who are in the faith of charity observe what is good, and if they see anything evil and false, they excuse it, and if they can, try to amend it in him. ... Where there is no charity, there is the love of self, and therefore hatred against all who do not favor self. Consequently such persons see in the neighbor only what is evil, and if they see anything good, they either perceive it as nothing, or put a bad interpretation upon it. It is just the other way with those who are in charity. By this difference these two kinds of men are distinguished from one another, especially when they come into the other life; for then with those who are in no charity, the feeling of hatred shines forth from every single thing; they desire to examine everyone, and even to judge him; nor do they desire anything more than to find out what is evil, constantly cherishing the disposition to condemn, punish, and torment. But they who are in charity scarcely see the evil of another, but observe all his goods and truths, and put a good interpretation on what is evil and false. Such are all the angels, which they have from the Lord, who bends all evil into good.

(from Arcana Coelestia 1076-1079)

The Signs of Charity

Selection from The Doctrine of Charity ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The signs of charity are all things that pertain to worship.

All things of charity have regard to looking to the Lord and shunning evils as sins, and doing the goods of use that pertain to one's calling. But all things of worship are externals, of the body and of the mind. The externals of the body are performed by acts and by words; and the externals of the mind are those that are performed by the will and the thought, which cohere with the externals of the body.

The externals of the body which pertain to worship are:
(1) Frequenting temples.
(2) Listening to sermons.
(3) Devoutly singing, and praying on the knees.
(4) Partaking the Sacrament of the Supper.

And at home:
(1) Prayer morning and evening, and at dinners and suppers.
(2) Conversing with others about charity and faith, and about God, heaven, eternal life, and salvation.
(3) And in the case of priests, preaching, and also private instruction.
(4) And with everyone, the instruction of children and servants in such matters.
(5) Reading the Word, and books of instruction and of piety.

The externals of the mind which pertain to worship are:
(1) Thought and meditation concerning God, and concerning heaven, eternal life, and salvation.
(2) Reflection upon one's thoughts and intentions, as to whether they are evil or good, and that the evil are from the devil, and the good from God.
(3) Aversion of one's mind from impious, obscene, and filthy language.
(4) Besides thoughts, there are also affections which come to the sight and sense of a man.

These are called externals because they cohere and make one with the externals of the body. That such things are externals of worship, and that the externals of worship are signs of charity.

Charity itself is in the internal man, and its sign is in the external.

That there is an internal and an external man is known; and that the internal man is called the spirit, and the external the flesh, is also known. For it is said and it is known by some that there is a conflict between the spirit and the flesh. The spirit which contends against the flesh is the internal man, who is charity.

The quality of the internal man cannot manifest itself to a man except by the external. It manifests itself when there is a conflict with the external; especially it manifests itself when a man examines himself, sees his evils, and from knowledge confesses them and thinks about repentance, and then resists his evils and sets about living a new life.

If a man does not do these things his internal man is evil; but if he does them his internal man is good. For through the internal man the Lord operates into the external; and as evil is then residing in the external, a conflict arises. For into the external man, which is called the flesh, spirits from hell are admitted, who are called the devil; and the Lord in man fights against him. And if, as of himself, the man also fights, he conquers; and as far as the devil is conquered, so far there is place for goods from the internal man to enter. Thus he gradually becomes a new man and is regenerated.

Whatever the internal man produces and presents to sight and sense in the external is called a sign. If charity is in the internal it leads a man to reflect upon the evils within him, and actually to take cognizance of and know them, and so on. If he does not do this his external is not a sign of charity; and if yet his external is in worship and piety, it is not a sign of charity, but is external charity without internal charity, which is not charity.

By a sign is meant an indication and evidence that it exists; for it expresses and signifies and indicates and bears witness of it.

There is no internal without its sign and indication. If charity is in the internal man, or in the spirit, and this does not fight against the external man and his flesh, then charity perishes. It is as a fountain of pure water; if there is no outlet it stagnates and then it either ceases its flow or by stagnation the water becomes putrid. In another place there will be many confirmations of these things from the Word.

(from Doctrine of Charity 173-183)

Why Evils are Permitted

Selection from Divine Providence ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

The worshiper of himself and of nature confirms himself against Divine providence when he reflects that wars are permitted, and the consequent slaughter of so many men, and the plundering of their wealth.

It is not from the Divine providence that wars exist, for they are connected with murders, plunderings, violence, cruelties, and other terrible evils, which are directly opposed to Christian charity; and yet they must needs be permitted, because, since the time of the most ancient people, meant by Adam and his wife, the life's love of man has become such that it wills to rule over others, and finally over all; also to possess the wealth of the world, and finally all wealth. These two loves cannot be kept bound, for —

it is according to the Divine providence that everyone be allowed to act from freedom in accordance with reason; furthermore, without permissions man cannot be led from evil by the Lord, and thus be reformed and saved.

For unless evils were permitted to break out man would not see them, and therefore would not acknowledge them, and thus could not be led to resist them.

For this reason evils cannot be prevented by any providence; for if they were they would remain shut-in, and like the diseases called cancer and gangrene would spread about and consume all that is vital in man.

For man from birth is like a little hell, between which and heaven there is perpetual discordance.

No man can be withdrawn from his hell by the Lord unless he sees that he is in hell and wishes to be led out; and this cannot be done without permissions, the causes of which are laws of the Divine providence.

For this reason there are wars, lesser and greater, the lesser between the possessors of estates and their neighbors, and the greater between the rulers of kingdoms and their neighbors. Between the lesser and greater there is no difference, except that the lesser are kept within bounds by the laws of the nation, and the greater by the laws of nations; also that while both the lesser and greater wish to transgress their laws, the lesser cannot, and the greater can, although not beyond its abilities.

There are many other reasons stored up in the treasury of Divine wisdom why the Lord does not check the greater wars, with their kings and commanders, connected as they are with murders, depredations, violence, and cruelties, neither in their beginning nor in their progress, but only at the close, when the power of one or the other has become so reduced that he is in danger of destruction. Some of these reasons have been revealed to me, and among them is this:

that all wars, however much they may belong to civil affairs, represent in heaven the states of the church, and are correspondences.

Such were all the wars described in the Word, and such also are all wars at this day. The wars described in the Word are those that the children of Israel waged with various nations, as the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Philistines, the Syrians, the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, and the Assyrians; and when the children of Israel, who represented the church, departed from their commandments and statutes and fell into the evils signified by those nations, they were punished by some nation, because each nation with which the children of Israel waged war signified some particular kind of evil.  For example, when they profaned the holy things of the church by foul idolatries they were punished by the Assyrians and Chaldeans, because "Assyria" and "Chaldea" signify the profanation of what is holy. ...

Like things are represented by the wars of the present day, wherever they occur; for all things that take place in the natural world correspond to spiritual things in the spiritual world, and everything spiritual has relation to the church. It is not known in this world what kingdoms in Christendom answer to the Moabites and Ammonites, what to the Syrians and Philistines, or what to the Chaldeans and Assyrians, and the others with whom the children of Israel waged war; and yet there are those that do answer to them.

Moreover, what the quality of the church upon earth is and what the evils are into which it falls, and for which it is punished by wars, cannot be seen at all in the natural world; because in this world externals only are evident, and these do not constitute the church; but this is seen in the spiritual world, where internals are manifest, in which the church itself is; and there all are conjoined in accordance with their various states. The conflicts of these in the spiritual world correspond to wars; which are governed by the Lord on both sides correspondentially, in accordance with His Divine providence.

That in this world wars are governed by Divine providence the spiritual man acknowledges, but the natural man does not, except when a festival is appointed on account of a victory that he may return thanks on his knees to God that He has given the victory, also by a few words before going into battle. But when he returns into himself he ascribes the victory either to the prudence of the general or to some measure or occurrence in the midst of the battle, which they had not thought of, from which nevertheless came the victory.

That the Divine providence that is called fortune is in the least particulars of even trivial things; and if in these you acknowledge the Divine providence you must certainly acknowledge it in the affairs of war. Also, the successes and favorable occurrences of war are called in common language the fortune of war; and this is Divine providence, especially in the plans and preparations of the general, even although he then and afterwards may ascribe it all to his own prudence. And let him do this if he will, for he is in full liberty to think in favor of the Divine providence or against it, and even in favor of God and against Him; but let him know that no part whatever of the plan or preparation is from himself; it all flows in either from heaven or from hell, - from hell by permission, from heaven by providence.

(Divine Providence 251)

The Essential of the Church

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

They who are not being regenerated say absolutely that faith is in the first place, that is to say, that it is the essential of the church, because in this way they can live as they desire, and still say that they have hope of salvation.

At this day charity has so disappeared that the nature of it is known to scarcely anyone, and consequently so has faith, for the one is not possible without the other.

If charity were in the first place, and faith in the second, the aspect of the church would be different; for then no others would be called Christians than those who live a life according to the truth of faith, that is, a life of charity; and they would then also know what charity is. Then too they would not make a number of churches by making a distinction among them according to opinions about the truths of faith; but they would say that there is one church, in which are all who are in the good of life, not only those within the region where the churches are, but also those who are outside of it. In this manner the church would be an illustration about such things as belong to the Lord's kingdom; for charity enlightens, and never faith without charity — and the errors that are brought in by means of faith separated would be clearly seen.

Hence it is evident how different an aspect the church would have if the good of charity were in the first place, that is, were the essential, and the truth of faith in the second, that is, it's formal. The aspect of the church would then be like that of the Ancient Church, which made the church consist in charity, and had no other doctrinals of the church than those of charity: from this they had wisdom from the Lord. The quality of that church is described in these words in Moses:

Jehovah led him about, He instructed him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, He took him, He bare him upon His wings; Jehovah alone did lead him, neither was there any strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and fed him with the increase of the fields; He made him suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and of rams the sons of Bashan, and of he-goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and of the blood of the grape thou drinkest pure wine (Deut. 32:10-14).

Wherefore they who were of that church are in heaven, and in all happiness and glory there.

(from Arcana Coelestia 6269)

That Which Is Regarded In Heaven

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

When families and nations are viewed by the angels, they have no idea of a nation, but only of the worship in it; for they regard all from the quality itself, that is, from what they are.

The quality or character of a man, from which he is regarded in heaven, is his charity and faith. This anyone may clearly apprehend if he considers that when he looks at any man, or any family, or nation, he thinks for the most part of what quality they are, everyone from that which is dominant in himself at the time. The idea of their quality comes instantly to mind, and in himself he estimates them from that.

(from Arcana Coelestia 1258)

Where in the Mind are Theological Matters.

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
~ Memorable Relation ~

I was engaged in thought about what region of the mind in man is occupied with theological matters. At first I supposed that being spiritual and heavenly they occupy the highest region. For the human mind is divided into three regions, as a house into three stories, or the angelic abodes into three heavens.

Then an angel standing near said,

"With those who love truth because it is true, theological matters rise even into the highest region of the mind, because in that region is their heaven, and they are in the light in which angels dwell. But moral subjects theoretically examined and perceived have their place in a second region beneath these, because they communicate with things spiritual. Beneath these in a first region political subjects have their place; while scientific matters, which are manifold, and may be referred to genera and species, form a door to these higher matters.

Those with whom things spiritual, moral, political, and scientific are thus subordinated, think what they think and do what they do from justice and judgment. This is because the light of truth, which is also the light of heaven, illuminates from the highest region all things that follow, as the light of the sun, passing in turn through the ethers and through the atmospheres, illumines the eyes of men and beasts and fishes.

It is different, however, in matters of theology with those who love truth not because it is true, but only for the glory of their reputation. With them theological subjects have their seat in the lowest region along with scientific subjects; with some the former are mingled with the latter; with others the two cannot be so mingled. In the same region but still lower are political subjects, and beneath these again moral subjects, for in such persons the two higher regions are not opened on the right hand; and in consequence they have no interior reason from judgment and no affection for justice, but only a cleverness which enables them to talk on every subject as if from intelligence and to confirm whatever presents itself as if from reason; but the objects of reason which they chiefly love are falsities, because these adhere to the fallacies of the senses. This is why there are so many in the world who no more see truths of doctrine from the Word than those blind can see; and when such hear truths they hold their nostrils, lest the scent of the truths should disturb them and excite nausea; while on the other hand, they open all their senses to falsities and drink them in as whales drink in water."

(True Christian Religion 186)

Receiving Something of the Spiritual in the Natural.

Selection from Divine Providence ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Every man may be reformed, and there is no such thing as predestination.

Sound reason declares that all men were predestined to heaven, and no one to hell; for all are born men, and in consequence the image of God is in them.

The image of God in men is the ability to understand truth and to do good. The ability to understand truth is from the Divine wisdom, and the ability to do good is from the Divine love. This ability is the image of God, which remains in every sane man, and is not eradicated. From this comes his ability to become a civil and moral man; and the civil and moral man can also become spiritual, for the civil and moral is a receptacle of the spiritual. He is called a civil man who knows the laws of the kingdom wherein he is a citizen and lives according to them; and he is called a moral man who makes these laws his morals and his virtues, and from reason lives them.

It shall now be told how a civil and moral life is a receptacle of spiritual life:

Live these laws, not only as civil and moral laws, but also as Divine laws, and you will be a spiritual man.

Scarcely a nation exists so barbarous as not to have prohibited by laws murder, adultery with the wife of another, theft, false-witness, and injury to what is another's. The civil and moral man observes these laws, that he may be, or may seem to be, a good citizen; but if he does not also regard these laws as Divine he is merely a civil and moral natural man; while if he does also regard them as Divine he becomes a civil and moral spiritual man. The difference is that the latter is both a good citizen of the earthly kingdom and a good citizen of the heavenly kingdom; while the former is a good citizen of the earthly kingdom only, and not of the heavenly kingdom. The difference is seen in the goods they do; the goods done by civil and moral natural men are not in themselves good, for the man and the world are in them; the goods done by civil and moral spiritual men are good in themselves, because the Lord and heaven are in them.

From all this it can be seen that as every man was born that he might become a civil and moral natural man, so, too, he was born that he might become a civil and moral spiritual man.

This is done simply by his acknowledging God and not doing evil because it is against God, but doing good because it is accordant with God, whereby a spirit enters into his civil and moral activities, and they live; otherwise there is no spirit in them, and therefore they are not living. And this is why the natural man, however civilly and morally he may act, is called dead; but the spiritual man is called living.

It is of the Lord's Divine providence that every nation has some religion; and the primary thing in every religion is to acknowledge that there is a God, otherwise it is not called a religion; and every nation that lives according to its religion, that is, that refrains from doing evil because it is contrary to its god, receives something of the spiritual in its natural. When one hears some Gentile say that he is unwilling to do this or that evil because it is contrary to his god, does he not say to himself, Is not this man saved? it seems as if it could not be otherwise. Sound reason declares this to him. On the other hand, when he hears a Christian say, I make no account of this or that evil; why is it said to be contrary to God? does he not say to himself, Is this man saved? it seems impossible. Sound reason declares this also.

If such an one says, I was born a Christian, I have been baptized, I have known about the Lord, I have read the Word, I have attended the sacrament of the Supper-does this amount to anything if he does not regard murders, or the revenge that breathes them, adulteries, secret thefts, false testimony or lies, and various kinds of violence, as sins? Does such a man think about God or any eternal life? Does he believe that there is any God or any eternal life? Does not sound reason declare that such a person cannot be saved? All this has been said respecting a Christian, because a Gentile thinks about God from religion in his life more than a Christian does.

(Divine Providence 322)