Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 87
outmost things of nature. Evidently, then, the correspondence
of natural things with spiritual things, or of the world with
heaven, is through uses, and uses are what conjoin; and the
form in which uses are clothed are correspondences and are
conjunctions just to the extent that they are forms of uses. In
the nature of the world in its threefold kingdom, all things that
exist in accordance with order are forms of uses, or effects
formed from use for use, and this is why the things in nature
are correspondences. But in the case of man, so far as he is in
accordance with Divine order, that is, so far as he is in love to
the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor, are his acts uses
in form, and correspondences, and through these he is
conjoined to heaven. To love the Lord and the neighbor means
in general to perform uses. 83
Furthermore, it must be
understood that man is the means by which the natural world
and the spiritual world are conjoined, that is, man is the
medium of conjunction, because in him there is a natural
world and there is a spiritual world (see above, n. 57);
consequently to the extent that man is spiritual he is the
medium of conjunction; but to the extent that a man is
83. Every good has its delight as well as its quality from use and in
accordance with use; therefore such as the use is, such is the good (n. 3049,
4984, 7038).
Angelic life consists in the goods of love and charity, that is, in
performing uses (n. 454). The Lord, and consequently the angels, look only,
in regard to man, to ends, which are uses (n. 1317, 1645, 5854).
The Lord’s kingdom is a kingdom of uses, that is, of ends (n. 454, 696,
1103, 3645, 4054, 7038). Serving the Lord is performing uses (n. 7038).
Each thing and all things in man have been formed for use (n. 3626,
4104, 5189, 9297); also from use, that is, the use is prior to the organic
forms in man through which the use is performed, because use is from the
inflowing of the Lord through heaven (n. 4223, 4926). Moreover man’s
interiors, which constitute his mind, when he grows to maturity are formed
from use and for use (n. 1964, 6815, 9297).
Consequently man is such as are the uses with him (n. 1568, 3570,
4054, 6571, 6935, 6938, 10284). Uses are the ends for the sake of which (n.
3565, 4054, 4104, 6815).
Use is the first and the last, thus the all of man (n. 1964).