The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

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CHARITY 260166. (7) Charity in the common soldier. If he looks to the Lordand shuns evils as sins, and sincerely, justly, and faithfully does hisduty, he also becomes charity; for as to this there is no distinctionof persons. He is averse to unjust depredation; he abominates thewrongful effusion of blood. In battle it is another thing. There he isnot averse to it; for he does not think of it, but of the enemy as anenemy, who desires his blood. When he hears the sound of thedrum calling him to desist from the slaughter, his fury ceases. Helooks upon his captives after victory as neighbors, according to thequality of their good. Before the battle he raises his mind to theLord, and commits his life into His hand; and after he has donethis, he lets his mind down from its elevation into the body andbecomes brave; the thought of the Lord—which he is thenunconscious of—remaining still in his mind, above his bravery.And then if he dies, he dies in the Lord; if he lives, he lives in theLord.167. (8) Charity in the man of business. If he looks to the Lordand shuns evils as sins, and transacts his business sincerely, justly,and faithfully, he becomes charity. He acts as from his ownprudence, and yet trusts in the Divine providence. He is thereforenot despondent in misfortune nor elated with success. He thinks ofthe morrow, and yet does not think of it. He thinks of what shouldbe done on the morrow, and how it should be done; and yet doesnot think of the morrow, because he ascribes the future to theDivine providence and not to his own prudence. Even his prudencehe ascribes to the Divine providence.He loves business as the principal of his vocation, and money asits instrumental; and does not make this the principal and that theinstrumental, as very many of the Jews do. Thus he loves his work,which is in itself a good of use; and not the means rather than thework. He does not indeed so distinguish between them; but yetthey are thus distinguished when he looks to the Lord and shunsevils as sins. For he shuns avarice, which is an evil and the root ofmany evils.
CHARITY 261He loves the general good while loving his own good; for that lieshidden within it, as the root of a tree, which conceals itself in theearth; from which, nevertheless, it grows, and blossoms, and bearsfruit. Not that he gives to it of his own beyond what is due; but thefact is that the public good is also the good of his fellow citizens,whence indeed it arises, whom he loves from the charity of whichhe is a form. No one can know the secrets of charity within himself,for he cannot see them; but the Lord sees them.168. (9) Charity in workmen. By workmen are meant operativesand artificers of the various kinds. If they look to the Lord andshun evils as sins, and do their work sincerely, justly, and faithfully,they become forms of charity, each in proportion as he loves hiswork and is diligent in it. For their works are goods of useserviceable to the neighbor for various necessities and uses; as forfood, clothing, dwelling, protection, preservation, pleasure, and inmany other ways; and are the gains of the commonwealth. Justinsofar as anyone puts his mind into his work and labor, from thelove of it, he is in it, as to affection and thought concerning it; andin proportion as he is in it, he is withheld from thinking of andloving vanities, and afterwards is led of the Lord to think of andlove goods; and also to think of and love the means to good, whichare truths. It is not so with one who applies himself to no work.Every workman who looks to the Lord and shuns evils as sins,shuns idleness, because it is the devil’s pillow; shuns insincerity andfraud; and shuns luxury and intemperance. He is industrious,sincere, sober, content with his lot, and works for his neighbor ashe would for himself; because in doing his work he loves himselfand him in equal degree.169. (10) Charity in husbandmen. Husbandmen, or farmers andvinedressers, if they look to the Lord and shun evils as sins, and dotheir work sincerely, justly, and faithfully, become charities, as totheir spirits, and after death, when they become spirits, they are in aform of charity; and that form is the human form, in which all areafter death. Husbandmen such as these rise early in the morning,arrange their work, apply themselves with energy to their labor, areindefatigable in their work, and rejoice in it. When their work is
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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 and 34: CHARITY 249123. But this is so with
Page 35 and 36: CHARITY 251130. The general good co
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: CHARITY 259continually loves peace.
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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