Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 35934996. Because thou art his wife. That this signifies because it wasnot to be conjoined with another good is evident from thesignification of “wife” as being truth adjoined to its good (see n.1468, 2517, 3236, 4510, 4823), here truth natural not spiritual togood natural not spiritual (as above, n. 4988).4997. And how shall I do this great evil, and sin to God? That thissignifies that thus there would be disjunction and no conjunction isevident from the signification of “evil,” and also of “sin,” as beingdisjunction and no conjunction, namely, when good spiritualnatural is conjoined with truth natural not spiritual; for they areunlike and unsuited, and tear themselves away from each other. Itis said “to do evil and sin to God,” because regarded in itself, evil,and also sin, is nothing else than disjunction from good. Moreover,evil itself consists in disunion. This is plain from good, for good isconjunction, because all good is of love to the Lord and of lovetoward the neighbor. The good of love to the Lord conjoins theman with the Lord, and consequently with all the good whichproceeds from him; and the good of love toward the neighborconjoins him with heaven, and the societies there; and therefore bythis love also the man is conjoined with the Lord; for heavenproperly so called is the Lord, because he is the all in all there.[2] But with evil the reverse is the case. Evil is of the love of selfand of the love of the world. The evil of the love of self disjoins theman not only from the Lord, but also from heaven; for he loves noone but himself, others only so far as he regards them in himself, orso far as they make one with him. Hence he diverts to himself theattention of all, and entirely averts it from others, most especiallyfrom the Lord; and when many in a society do this, it follows thatall are disjoined, and at heart each regards the others as enemies,and if anyone does aught against him, he holds him in hatred, andtakes delight in his destruction. Nor is it different with the evil ofthe love of the world, for this covets the wealth and goods of others,and desires to possess all that belongs to them; whence also ariseenmities and hatreds, but in a less degree. In order for anyone toknow what evil is, and consequently what sin is, let him merelystudy to know what the love of self and of the world is; and in