Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3642In this place I will merely state what is signified by the answer madeboth by those on the right hand, and by those on the left—thatthey had not seen him hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, andin prison; and afterward what is signified by the “king,” and also bythe “righteous and eternal life,” and by the “cursed and eternalfire.”5066. The answer made by those on the right hand:Lord, when saw we thee hungry and fed thee, or thirsty and gavethee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and gathered thee, or nakedand clothed thee? When saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came untothee?signifies that if they had seen the Lord himself, every one of themwould have performed these offices; yet not from love toward him,but from fear because he was to be the judge of the universe; thusnot for his sake, but for the sake of themselves; thus not fromwithin or from the heart, but from without and in act only.This is as when one sees a king whose favor he desires to gain inorder that he may become great or rich, and therefore bears himselfsubmissively toward him. It is similar with those who are in holyexternal worship, in which they as it were see the Lord, and submitthemselves to him, believing that in this way they will receiveeternal life; and yet they have no charity, and do no good to anyoneexcept for their own sake, thus only to themselves. They are likepersons who in outward form pay court to their king with muchrespect, and yet deride his commands because at heart theydisregard him. These and similar things are what are signified bythose on the right hand so answering; and as the evil also do thelike things in outward form, therefore they who were on the leftmade nearly the same answer.5067. As therefore the Lord cares not for external but for internalthings, and as man testifies to his internal things, not by worshiponly, but by charity and its acts, the Lord answered: