The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

More documents

Recommendations

Info

CHARITY 282his heart rejects these precepts, he can in no wise see but that he iswithout sins. And yet as he is initiated from childhood into theworship of God, and knows from the doctrine of the church thatfrom primal origin and afterwards from birth he is a sinner, hebegins to confess that he is a sinner. But as he does not know whatsin is, he nevertheless still believes that he is not a sinner.I have heard some declare that they were sinners, that fromconception and from birth they were in every kind of sin, that fromthe head to the sole of the foot there is no soundness in them, andmany such things; yet, because they knew not what sins were, theydid not know that the love of self and pride are the heads of all sins;they did not know that to indulge in hatred and revenge if one isnot honored and worshipped like a demigod, is a sin; nor that toslander the neighbor on account of his enmity, and so bear falsewitness against him, is a sin; nor that to deceive anyone, by word ordeed, is a sin; nor that to despise another in comparison withoneself, to envy him his goods, to covet them, is a sin; nor againthat it is a sin to attach merit to all that pertains to one’s worship ofGod, either to one’s faith or charity, besides innumerable otherthings.I have heard from them that they did not know such things weresins; nay, nor anything, whatever it is, that anyone thinks and doesnot speak, or that he wills and does not do. From this ignoranceone said he did not know that he was a sinner. “And if I am,” hesaid, “I have been purified from them when I prayed, ‘O God, I donot know my sins, remit them.’” But when the same personexamined himself, which took place in the world of spirits, he sawthat his sins were so many they could not be told; and yet that hecould if he would take cognizance of and know them. But he saidhe did not wish, because he should thus abstain from them inthought and will, which would be acting against the delight of hislife. From all this now it is plain that as far as anyone does not takecognizance of sins and know what they are, he does not see but thathe is without sins.
CHARITY 283206. (6) As far as anyone takes cognizance of and knows what sinsare, so far he can see them in himself, confess them before the Lord, andrepent of them. This follows from all that has now been said.Therefore in order that a man may see what sins are, the first of theWord was the Decalogue; and therefore also the Decalogue is acomplex of the whole Word, for which reason it is called the “TenWords,” and by “Ten Words” are signified all truths in thecomplex. For a like reason there are similar precepts among allnations in the world which have religion. And the man who knowsthat they are Divine laws, and that therefore he who acts contraryto them acts contrary to God, or commits sin, can receive Divineinflux, and at the same time also the will and effort as of himself toabstain from sins and repent of them. Confession of one’s sinsbefore the Lord effects conjunction with Him, and reception ofinflux from Him. And then the Lord accomplishes the work, andyet gives man to act as if of himself. Otherwise man could not act.The Lord at that time operates in him, through inmost things evento the outermost, and removes lusts, which are the roots of evil.This a man could not do of himself. Of himself man operates onlyin the outermost things; and yet the inmost things produce these. Iftherefore man removed evils of himself, he would still remain inthem.207. (7) Good before repentance is not good, and therefore is notcharity. Before repentance man is in evil, is evil entirely; for he is aform of evil, and an image of hell. But by repentance evil isremoved and good is implanted. From which it follows that goodbefore repentance is not good. Before repentance good is not donefrom the Lord, but from the man. It has not therefore the essenceof good in it, but the essence of evil, howsoever in its form it mayoutwardly appear as good. This is not discerned in the world, but itis, manifestly, after death. It is heard in the very sound of the voicein speech, yea, what evil is in it, whether fraud, or envy, orvainglory, or haughtiness, or blasphemy, or hypocrisy, yea, or theclaiming of merit. All the words of speech sound forth from the evilthat is in them; and they have regard to self alone. But the goodafter repentance is entirely different. It is good in fullness, openfrom the Lord Himself. It is lovely, it is innocent, it is grateful,heavenly. The Lord and heaven are in it. Good itself is in it. It is
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 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 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: CHARITY 281himself. And because the
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
show all

The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?