Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 313end, which is, either that he may be raised above others and ruleover them, or that he may gain wealth; and of these things hethinks in his spirit, or when he is by himself secretly; but thesethings that he thinks he does not dare to avow openly, because theywould destroy the good opinion others have of him, and thusdestroy the means by which he wishes to attain his ends. From thisit can be seen that there lies within the moral life of such a mannothing else than to acquire all things in preference to others, thusthat he wishes to have all others to serve him, or to gain possessionof their goods; from which it is evident that his moral life is not initself a moral life; for if he should gain what he aims at, or what hehas as an end, he would subject others to himself as slaves, andwould deprive them of their goods. And as all means savor of theend, and in their essence are of the same quality as their ends, forwhich reason they are also called intermediate ends, therefore sucha life, regarded in itself, is merely craftiness and fraud. And this alsobecomes clearly evident in the case of those with whom theseexternal bonds are released, as takes place, when engaged in lawsuitsagainst their fellows, when they desire nothing so much as tosubvert justice, and secure the good will of the judge or the favor ofthe king, and this secretly, that they may deprive others of theirgoods; and when they obtain this, they rejoice in spirit and in heart.This is still more evident in the case of kings who place honor inwars and victories, that they find the highest joy of their hearts insubjugating provinces and kingdoms, and where resistance is made,in depriving the vanquished of all their goods, and even of life.Such also is the delight of many who engage at such times inmilitary service. This becomes still more evident with all of thischaracter when they become spirits, which is immediately after thedeath of the body. As they then think and act from their spirit, theyrush into every wickedness according to their love, however morallythey may have lived in appearance while in the world.[3] But spiritual life is wholly different, because it has a differentorigin; for it is from love to God and love towards the neighbor.Consequently, the moral life also of those who are spiritual isdifferent, and is a truly moral life; for these, when they think intheir spirit, which takes place when they are thinking secretly bythemselves, do not think from self and the world, but from the