Heavenly Doctrine (Tafel) n. 106

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

106. FROM THE HEAVENLY ARCANA.

Heaven is distinguished into two kingdoms, one of which is called the celestial kingdom, and the other the spiritual: the love prevailing in the celestial kingdom is love to the Lord, which is called celestial love; and the love prevailing in the spiritual kingdom is love towards the neighbour, that is charity, which is called spiritual love, nos. 3325, 3653, 7257, 9002, 9835, 9961. That heaven is distinguished into those two kingdoms, see the work on Heaven and Hell, nos. 20-28; and that the Lord's Divine in the heavens is love to Him and charity towards the neighbour, see Ibid. nos. 13-19. What good and what truth are cannot be known, unless it is known what love to the Lord and what love towards the neighbour are, because all good belongs to love, and all truth to good, nos. 7255, 7366. Knowing truths, willing truths, and being affected with truths for the truths' sake, that is, because they are truths, is charity, nos. 3876, 3877. Charity consists in the internal affection of doing the truth, and not in an external affection apart from the former, nos. 2430, 2442, 3776, 4899, 4956, 8033. Charity thus consists in the performance of uses for the sake of uses, nos. 7038, 8253. Charity is the spiritual life of man, no. 7081. The whole Word is the Doctrine of Love and Charity, nos. 6632, 7262. It is not known at the present day what charity is, nos. 2417, 3398, 4776, 6632. Nevertheless, from the light of his own reason a man may know that love and charity constitute man, nos. 3957, 6273; also that good and truth accord together, and that the one belongs to the other, so also love and faith, no. 7627. In the highest sense the Lord is the neighbour, because He is to be loved above all things; wherefore all that which is from Him, and in which He is, and thus good and truth, is the neighbour, nos. 2425, 3419, 6706, 6819, 6823, 8124. The distinction in the neighbour is according to the quality of good, thus according to the Lord's presence, nos. 6707-6710. Every man and every society, - further, one's country and the Church, and, in a universal sense, the Lord's kingdom, are the neighbour, and doing good to them from the love of good, according to the quality of their state, means loving the neighbour; thus their good, is the neighbour, who is to be cared for, nos. 6818-6824, 8123. Civil good, which consists in justice, and moral good, which consists in the good of life in society, and is called sincerity, are also the neighbour, nos. 2915, 4730, 8120-8122. Loving the neighbour does not mean loving his person, but loving that in him by virtue of which he is a neighbour, consequently good and truth, nos. 5028, 10336. They who love the person, and not that in a man from which he is a neighbour, love evil just as well as good, no. 3820. And they do good to the evil as well as to the good; when yet doing good to the evil is doing evil to the good, and this is not loving the neighbour, nos. 3820, 6703, 8120. A judge who punishes the evil that they may be amended, and that the good may not be contaminated by them, loves the neighbour, nos. 3820, 8120, 8121. Loving the neighbour means doing what is good, just, and right, in every work and every public office, nos. 8120- 8122. Wherefore charity towards the neighbour extends to each and every thing which a man thinks, wills, and does, no. 8124. Doing what is good and true means loving the neighbour, nos. 10310, 10336. They who do this, love the Lord, who is the neighbour in the highest sense, no. 9210. A life of charity means a life according to the Lord's Commandments; and living according to Divine truths means loving the Lord, nos. 10143, 10153, 10310, 10578, 10645. Genuine charity does not look to merit, nos. 2027, 2273, 2400, 3887, 6388-6393; because it proceeds from an internal affection, and consequently from the delight of the life of doing good, nos. 2373, 2400, 3887, 6388-6393. They who separate faith from charity, in the other life attribute merit to faith, and to the good works which they have done in an outward form, no. 2373. They who are in evils from the love of self or of the world, do not know what is meant by doing good apart from the idea of reward; consequently what is meant by a charity that does not look to reward, no. 8037. The doctrine of the Ancient Church was the doctrine of life, which is the doctrine of charity, nos. 2385, 2417, 3419, 3420, 4844, 6628. From it they had intelligence and wisdom, nos. 2417, 6629, 7259-7262. Intelligence and wisdom in the other life increase immensely with those who in the world have lived a life of charity, nos. 1941, 5859. The Lord flows in with Divine Truth into charity, because into the very life of man, no. 2063. The man with whom charity and faith are conjoined is like a garden; but he with whom they are not conjoined, is like a desert, no. 7626. In the proportion in which a man recedes from charity, he recedes from wisdom; and they who are not in charity are in ignorance concerning Divine truths, however wise they may think themselves, nos. 2417, 2435. The angelic life consists in the performance of the goods of charity, which are uses, no. 454. The spiritual angels, who are those who are in the good of charity, are forms of charity, nos. 553, 3804, 4735. All spiritual truths have respect to charity as to their beginning, and end, no. 4353. The doctrinals of the Church are void of effect, unless they regard charity as their end, nos. 2049, 2116. The Lord's presence with men and angels is according to the state of their love and charity, no. 904. Charity is the image of God, no. 1013. The love of the Lord, consequently the Lord, is interiorly in charity, although the man is not aware of it, nos. 2227, 5066, 5067. Those who lead a life of charity are accepted as citizens both in this world and in heaven, no 1121. The good of charity ought not to be violated, no. 2359. They who are not in charity cannot acknowledge and worship the Lord except from hypocrisy, nos. 2132, 4424, 9833. The forms of hatred and of charity cannot exist together, no. 1860.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church