The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

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CHARITY 250(2) The goods of use which individuals perform, from which thegeneral good exists, are ministries, functions, offices, and variousemployments.(3) All the offices and employments in a kingdom, commonwealthand state, regarded as to the goods of use, constitute a form whichcorresponds to the heavenly form.(4) They also constitute a form which corresponds to the humanform.(5) In this form each individual is a good of use, according to theextent of his office and employment.127. (1) The general good exists from the goods of use whichindividuals perform; and the goods of use that individuals performsubsist from the general good. They are called goods of use because allgoods which are of love to the neighbor or charity are uses, and alluses are goods. They are therefore in a word called goods of use.They are also called the fruits of use.128. It is known that every man is born to be of use, and that hemay perform uses to others; and he who does not is called a uselessmember, and is cast off. He who performs uses for himself alone isalso useless, though not called so. In a well constitutedcommonwealth, therefore, provision is made that no one shall beuseless. If useless, he is compelled to some work; and a beggar iscompelled, if he is in health.129. Infants and boys, so long as they are under nurses andmasters, do not indeed perform goods of use; but yet they learn toperform them, and must have them for an end; thus the good ofuse is in the end. That a house may be built, the materials mustfirst be provided, and the foundation laid, and the walls erected;and so finally it is inhabited. The good of a house is the dwelling init.
CHARITY 251130. The general good consists in these things: (1) That in thesociety or kingdom there shall be what is Divine with them. (2)That there shall be justice with them. (3) That there shall bemorality with them. (4) That there shall be industry, knowledge,and uprightness with them. (5) That there shall be the necessariesof life. (6) That there shall be the things necessary to theiroccupations. (7) That there shall be the things necessary forprotection. (8) That there shall be a sufficiency of wealth; becausefrom this come the three former necessaries.131. From these arises the general good; and yet it does not comeof these themselves, but from the individuals there, and throughthe goods of use which individuals perform. As that what is Divineis there through ministers, and justice through magistrates andjudges; so morality exists by means of the Divine and of justice, andnecessaries by means of industrial occupations and commerce; andso on.132. It is known that every general thing is from particulars; andfor that reason it is called general. Whatever, therefore, is thequality of the parts, such is that of the general; a garden in generalis of such quality as its trees and their fruits; meadows in general, ofsuch quality as their crops of grass; fields in general, such as theirgrains and plants and flowers; a ship in general is such as all itsmany parts. The order among the parts and quality of the partsmakes the general more perfect or more imperfect.133. That the goods of use which individuals perform subsistfrom the general good is known; for each one derives his particulargood of use from the general. All things necessary to life, and alsofor occupations, and the wealth by which these necessaries areprocured are from this source. For by the general is meant not onlythe city and its society, but the country, and also the government.But as these are subjects of wide extent, they will be more clearly setforth in what follows; for there are many varieties, which yet are inagreement with this law.
Page 1 and 2: The DoctrineofCharity1766
Page 3 and 4: ContentsTranslator’s Note1. The f
Page 5 and 6: CHARITY 221Translator’s NoteThis
Page 7 and 8: CHARITY 223is to shun them as diabo
Page 9 and 10: CHARITY 225the man is within it, as
Page 11 and 12: CHARITY 22713. (1) Not to will to d
Page 13 and 14: CHARITY 229eternal life, and yet do
Page 15 and 16: CHARITY 23131. So in a thousand oth
Page 17 and 18: CHARITY 233(5) The good of the inte
Page 19 and 20: CHARITY 23554. Genuine charity itse
Page 21 and 22: CHARITY 237an essence. Therefore wh
Page 24: CHARITY 240laws, are enacted as for
Page 27 and 28: CHARITY 24392. It is known that suc
Page 29 and 30: CHARITY 245receptacle. So with the
Page 31 and 32: CHARITY 247114. (5) Whatever procee
Page 33: CHARITY 249123. But this is so with
Page 37 and 38: CHARITY 253this, that everyone ther
Page 39 and 40: CHARITY 255151. When therefore a ma
Page 41 and 42: CHARITY 257the Lord as the “door
Page 43 and 44: CHARITY 259continually loves peace.
Page 45 and 46: CHARITY 261He loves the general goo
Page 47 and 48: CHARITY 263accepted by the Lord, an
Page 49 and 50: CHARITY 265177. That such things ar
Page 51 and 52: CHARITY 267within him; and everyone
Page 53 and 54: CHARITY 26911There are diversions o
Page 55 and 56: CHARITY 271diversions vary accordin
Page 57 and 58: CHARITY 273diversions are the only
Page 59 and 60: CHARITY 275(2) No one can have char
Page 61 and 62: CHARITY 277the Lord, he would not d
Page 63 and 64: CHARITY 279far he does good from Go
Page 65 and 66: CHARITY 281himself. And because the
Page 67 and 68: CHARITY 283206. (6) As far as anyon
Page 69 and 70: CHARITY 285neighbor does not love h
Page 71 and 72: CHARITY 287evils in oneself, and re
Page 73 and 74: CHARITY 289213. But that these thin
Page 75: CHARITY 2915. The signs of charity

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