The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

CHARITY 277the Lord, he would not do it; because he would then believehimself not a man, yea not alive, and even scarcely different froman automaton. And I know from experience that a man wouldrather die, than live from another in himself even to the sense. Yea,if a man did not feel as if the good that he does was from himself,good would not remain in him, but would flow through as waterthrough a perforated bottle; and thus he could not be formed forheaven, that is, reformed and regenerated, and thus saved to live toeternity. But lest man, from this appearance, should attribute tohimself the good of charity that he does to the neighbor, and soappropriate to himself evil, instead of good—believing that he livesfrom himself, and therefore does good from himself—and shouldascribe to himself what is the Lord’s, it has pleased the Lord toreveal this in his Word, and teach it. For the Lord says:He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit;for without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5, and other places).202. (2) No one can have charity from the Lord unless he shuns evilsas sins. By charity, here as above, is meant the good that a man doesto the neighbor. Anyone can do good to the neighbor, an evil aswell as a good man; but no one can do it from good in himselfunless from the Lord, nor unless he shuns evils as sins. That no onecan do good to the neighbor from good in himself, unless from theLord, has been shown just above. And that no one can do it unlesshe shuns evils as sins, is because the Lord can flow into no one withgood, so as to be received, unless the evils in him are removed; forevils do not receive good, but reject it. For it is the same with aman who is in evils as with the devils in hell. The Lord flows intothem with good, just as into the angels in heaven; but the devils donot receive it, but turn the good into evil, and the truth into falsity.For such is the form of their life, and everything that flows in isturned into a like form—just as the pure heat of the sun, when itflows into stagnant urine, excrements, and dead bodies, is turnedinto noisome and malignant odors; and as the pure light of the sun,flowing into objects where all things are disordered, is convertedinto ugly colors. It is the same with heavenly heat, which is Divinegood, and heavenly light, which is Divine truth, in a man the formof whose life is inverted, and opposite to the heavenly form. It is