The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

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CHARITY 270color. For, to look continually at a thing which is black, orcontinually at red or at white, destroys the sight. Thus, if one lookscontinually at the snow the sight is destroyed; but it is enlivened ifhe looks in succession or at the same time upon many colors. Everyform delights by its varieties, as a garland of roses of different colorsarranged in beautiful order. Hence it is that the rainbow is morecharming than the light itself.191. When the mind has been continually upon the stretch, at itswork, it aspires to rest; and when it rests it descends into the body,and seeks there its pleasures, correspondent to its mentaloperations, which the mind chooses, according to its interior statein the viscera of the body. The interior things of the body derivetheir pleasures chiefly from the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste,and touch, delights which are in fact drawn from outward things,but yet insinuate themselves into the single parts of the body,which are called members and viscera. From hence and from noother source have they their delights and pleasures. The singlefibers, and single tissues of fibers, the single capillary vessels, andthence the common vessels, and so all the viscera in common,derive their own delights; which a man then perceives, not singlybut universally, as one common sensation. But just as is the mindwithin them, from the head, such are the delights, pure or impure,spiritual or natural, heavenly or infernal. For within, in everysensation of the body, is the love of his will, with its affections; andthe understanding makes him to perceive their delights.For the love of the will, with its affections, constitutes the life ofevery sensation; and the perception thence of the understandingproduces the sensation. Hence come all delights and pleasures. Forthe body is a connected work, and one form. Sensationcommunicates itself, like a force applied to a chain with its singlelinks; and as a form which has been wrought together fromuninterrupted links.192. But because the ministries, functions, offices, and labors ofeveryone keep the mind upon the stretch, and this is what is to berelaxed, revived, and restored by diversions, it may be seen that
CHARITY 271diversions vary according to the interior affection within them; andthat they are one thing if the affection of charity is in them, anotherif there is in them an affection for honor only, another if there is anaffection only for gain, another if they perform their duties only forthe sake of support, and the necessaries of life, another if only for aname, that they may be celebrated, or if only for the sake of salary,that they may grow rich, or that they may live generously, and soon.193. If the affection of charity is in them, then all the abovementioneddiversions are for its recreation: spectacles and plays,musical harmonies and songs, and all the beauties of fields andgardens, and social interaction in general. The affection of useremains interiorly within them, which, while it is thus resting, isgradually renewed. A longing for one’s work breaks or ends them.For the Lord flows into them from heaven and renews; and He alsogives an interior sense of pleasure in them, which they who are notin the affection of charity know nothing of. He breathes into thema fragrance or, as it were, sweetness perceptible only to oneself. Afragrance, it is said, by which is meant a spiritual pleasantness; andsweetness, by which is meant spiritual delight. Pleasantness ispredicated of wisdom, and of the perception of the understandingtherefrom; and delight is predicated of love, and of the affectiontherefrom of the will. They who are not in the affection of charityhave not these, because the spiritual mind is closed; and in thedegree that they depart from charity the spiritual mind, as to itsvoluntary part, is as if stuffed with something glutinous.194. These diversions are similar outwardly to those who haveonly an affection for honor, that is, who do the works of theircalling merely for the sake of reputation, that they may be praised,and promoted. They labor, are vigilant in their work, and performuses in abundance; not, however, from the love of use, but from thelove of self; thus not from love to the neighbor, but from the loveof glory. They may also feel a delight in the work of their calling;but it is an infernal delight. To their eyes it may counterfeitheavenly delight; for they are both alike outwardly. But theirdelight is full of what is undelightful; for they have no rest and
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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 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 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: CHARITY 26911There are diversions o
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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The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

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