Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 153n. 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1844, 1894; that the internal of thechurch is charity, n. 4766, 5826; that there would be one church,and not many, as at this day, if all were regarded from charity,although they might differ in respect to doctrinals of faith andrituals of worship, n. 1286, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2385,2982, 3267, 3451; that worship of the Lord consists in a life ofcharity, n. 8254, 8256; that the quality of worship is according tothe quality of charity, n. 2190.)105. Verse 5. Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, andrepent, and do the first works, signifies the remembrance of formerthings, and the remembrance of having deviated from the truth;and this, in order that the good of life of the church at itsbeginning may come into mind. This is evident from thesignification of “be mindful,” as being here the remembrance offormer things; from the signification of “whence thou hast fallen,”as being deviation therefrom, thus deviation from the truth; fromthe signification of “repent,” as being that it may come into mind;and from the signification of “doing the first works,” as being thegood of life of the church at its beginning. (That “works” mean allthose things of life that proceed from love and faith, see n. 98; andthat “first works,” which are of charity, are those of the church atits beginning, see just above, n. 104.) That a life in accordance withknowledges is the essential of the church, and not knowledges apartfrom such a life, can be seen by everyone who thinks about it; forknowledges, so long as there is no life according to them, reside inthe memory only; and so long as they reside there only they do notaffect man’s interiors; for memory is given to man to be areceptacle, from which may be taken what will be serviceable to thelife; and things are serviceable to the life when a man wills themand does them.[2] The whole spirit of man is nothing but his will; when,therefore, man becomes a spirit, he is unable to resist anything thatis favored by his will, for the whole man strives after it. That this isso is well known in the spiritual world; and I have occasionally seenthe trial made, whether a spirit could do anything contrary to hiswill, from which he exists, and it was found that he could not.