Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3645nor is it torment of conscience, but is lust of evil; for the lusts inman are spiritual fires which consume him in the life of the body,and torment him in the other life. By these fires the infernalstorture one another in direful ways.[2] That “eternal fire” is not natural fire is evident. That it is nottorment of conscience is because all who are in evil have noconscience, and they who have had none in the life of the bodycannot have any in the other life. But that it is lust is because allvital fire is from the loves in man—heavenly fire from the love ofgood and truth, and infernal fire from the love of evil andfalsity—or what is the same, heavenly fire is from love to the Lordand love toward the neighbor, and infernal fire is from the love ofself and the love of the world. That all the fire or heat within manis from this source, anyone may know if he pays attention to thematter. It is for this reason also that love is called spiritual heat, andthat by “fire” and “heat” in the Word nothing else is signified (n.934e, 1297, 1527, 1528, 1861, 2446, 4906). The vital fire in theevil is such that when they are in the vehemence of their lusts, theyare also in a kind of fire, from which they are in the ardor and furyof tormenting others; but the vital fire in the good is such thatwhen in a high degree of affection, they also are in a kind of fire,but from it they are in the love and zeal of benefiting others.GENESIS 401. And it came to pass after these words that they sinned, the butler ofthe king of Egypt and the baker, to their lord the king of Egypt.2. And Pharaoh was wroth over his two court ministers, over theprince of the butlers, and over the prince of the bakers.3. And he put them into the custody of the house of the prince of theguards, unto the prison house, the place where Joseph was bound.4. And the prince of the guards set Joseph over them, and heministered to them; and they were for days in custody.