The Doctrine of Charity - Swedenborg Foundation

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CHARITY 284living, formed by truths. Whatever is from good, in good, and forgood, is nothing but some use to the neighbor; and hence it is aserving. It puts away self and one’s proprium, and thus evil, inevery breath. Its form is as the form of a lovely and beautifullycolored flower, which is resplendent from the rays of the sun. Andtherefore with those who are in good there are forms which cannever be comprehended by the natural man. They can neither bedepicted nor described. These forms are forms of good. It is trulysaid that they are forms of good; yet the form itself is truths, and itslife is the good of love. For good disposes truths in a form inagreement with itself, and every truth of the form it makes alive.Such is good after repentance.208. (8) Consequently the first of charity is to look to the Lord andshun evils as sins, which is done by repentance. Who does notunderstand that, before a man can do good which is good, he mustbe cleansed from evils? Must not a cup be cleansed? And if it is notcleansed does not the wine taste of its uncleanness? And must not aplatter be cleansed before food is placed upon it? For if the inside ofa platter is mere uncleanness, does not the food excite aversion?Can anything pure flow into a man from heaven, while he isnothing but impurity and uncleanness? Must not the impure andunclean be first removed? If you fill your bedchamber withexcrement will not the whole house have an offensive smell? Cananyone enter there? And if one should step in, does he not say, “Icannot,” and turn from the house, saying, “This is for swine”?Before the Lord can flow in with good, evil must therefore beremoved. It would indeed be perilous if He should flow in before,for the good would be turned into evil and increase it. For thisreason the first thing is to remove evil, and after that to flow inwith good, and bring it into act by the man. Whoever beseechesthat he may do good from the Lord before evil has been put awayby repentance, or without shunning evils as sins, prays for what isimpossible, and for what would make him worse, since with theevil good is turned into evil, and so the good is profaned. That evilmust first be removed is very evident from the precepts of theDecalogue. Does he who would kill a man, or indulge in hatredtowards him, love him? He who commits adultery with another’swife does not love the neighbor. He who steals and defrauds the
CHARITY 285neighbor does not love him. He who slanders the neighbor doesnot love him. He who covets things that belong to the neighbordoes not love him. These evils therefore must first be removed, andin proportion as they are removed the neighbor is loved. Of thesematters Paul speaks (see Rom. 13:10).But the question is asked, whether love towards the neighborshould be first, or whether to shun these evils should be first.Everyone may see that to shun these evils must be first. For man isborn into evil; must he not then do the work of repentance?The second of charity is to do good to the neighbor2209. [Quote] from Isaiah, chapter 1; and concerning the cup andplatter, the inside of which must first be cleansed.If not cleansed they may yet appear good outwardly. This is aPharisaic or hypocritical good, or a certain natural good in whichthere is not spiritual good, and so it is spurious; and if done for thesake of salvation, it is meritorious good.But these things should be illustrated in this order:(1) To will not to do evil to the neighbor is to love him.(2) To will to do good to the neighbor is to love him.(3) As far as a man does not will to do evil to the neighbor, so far hewills to do him good from charity, and not vice versa.(4) It follows from this that the first of charity is to look to the Lordand shun evils as sins; and that the second of charity is to do good to theneighbor.
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ContentsTranslator’s Note1. The f
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CHARITY 221Translator’s NoteThis
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CHARITY 223is to shun them as diabo
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CHARITY 225the man is within it, as
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CHARITY 22713. (1) Not to will to d
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CHARITY 229eternal life, and yet do
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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 and 66: CHARITY 281himself. And because the
Page 67: CHARITY 283206. (6) As far as anyon
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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