WHICH WAS FORETOLD BY THE LORD, In DANIEL, Chap. vii. 5. 13, 14. and in The APOCALYPSE, By EMANUEL SWEDENBORG, Servant of the Lord JESUS CHRIST. NOW FIRST TRANLSATED FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN, Son of Man, What is that Proverb which ye have in the Land of Ifrael, Tell them therefore, thus faith the Lord God; I will make this Proverb VOLUME II. LONDON: SOLD BY J. PHILLIPS, GEORGE-YARD, LOMBARD-STREET; ALSO BY J. DENIS & SON, MDCCLXXXI. DANIEL, Chap. vii. Verfes 13, 14. I faw in the Night-vifions, and behold One like the SON OF MAN came with the Clouds of Heaven: and there was given him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People, Nations, and Languages fhould ferve him: His Dominion is an everlafting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. APOCALYPSE, Chap. xxi. 1, 2.5. 9, 10. And I John' faw a new Heaven and a new Earth; and I saw the holy City New Jerufalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband. And the Angel talked with me, faying, Come hither, I will fhew thee THE BRIDE, THE Lamb's WIFE. And he carried me away in the Spirit, to a great and high Mountain, and fhewed me that great City, the holy Jerufalem, defcending out of Heaven from God. And he that fat upon the Throne faid, Behold, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. And he faid unto me, Write, for thefe Words are faithful and TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, &c. CHAPTER THE SEVENTH. of CHARITY, or LOVE TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBOUR; AND of GOOD WORK S. 392. ROM the Doctrine of Faith we proceed to that of Charity, inafmuch as Faith and Charity are joined together like Truth and Goodness, or like Light and Heat in the Time of Spring. We ufe this Similitude of Light and Heat, becaufe Spiritual Light, which is the Light that proceedeth from the Sun of the Spiritual World, in it's Effence is Truth, in Confequence whereof, Truth in that World, wherefoever it appeareth, is bright and lucid, according to it's Purity; and fpiritual Heat, which alfo proceedeth from the fame Sun, in it's Effence is Goodnefs. The Cafe is the fame with Refpect to Charity and Faith, as with Refpect to Goodness and Truth, Charity being the Complex of all Things regarding the Good which a Man doeth towards his Neighbour, and Faith being the Complex of of all Things regarding the Truth, which is the Object of Man's Thought in relation to God and Things divine. Since therefore the Truth of Faith is Spiritual Light, and the Good of Charity is Spiritual Heat, it follows, that as Spiritual Light and Heat correfpond with natural Light and Heat, fo there is a fimilar Correfpondence exifting between the Truth of Faith and natural Light, and the Good of Charity and natural Heat; confequently, that as by the Conjunction of Natural Light and Heat, the Earth is bleffed and made fruitful, fo by the Conjunction of Faith and Charity, the human Mind is bleffed, and made fruitful, with this only Difference, that the Fruitfulness of the Earth is occafioned by natural Heat and Light, whereas the Fruitfulness of the human Mind is occafioned by fpiritual Heat and Light, and of confequence this latter Fruitfulness, by reafon of the Spirituality of its Origin, confifteth in Wifdom and Intelligence. There is alfo a Correfpondence exifting between the Earth and the human Mind, in refpect to this their Fruitfulness, which is the true Ground and Reason, why the Mind, wherein Charity is joined with Faith, and Faith with Charity, is in the Word likened to a Garden, and is even understood and fignified by the Garden of Eden, as I have fully proved in the Work entitled ARCANA COELESTIA, published at London. It is further to be noted, that unless the Doctrine of Faith be fucceeded by that of Charity, it will be impoffible to comprehend what Faith is, inafmuch as we proved, in the foregoing Chapter, that Faith without Charity is not Faith, nor hath Charity any Existence without Faith, nor hath either any Life, or living Principle, but from the Lord, No. 355, to 361. Alfo, that the Lord, Charity, and Faith, make One, like Life, Will, and Understanding, and that in cafe they are divided, each perisheth, and is destroyed, like a Pearl bruifed to Powder, No. 362, to 367. And further, That Charity and Faith exift together in good Works, No. 373. 393. It is a certain established Truth, that Faith and Charity must be kept in clofe Union, in order to make them effectual to the Attainment of Spiritual Life and Salvation. This is a Propofition fo clear and self-evident that it requires neither Depth of Judgment, nor Labour of Learning, to fee and comprehend it. When we hear it afferted, That whofoever leadeth a good Life, and is influenced by a right Faith will be faved, who doth not acknowledge the Truth of the Affertion, by a kind of interior Perception, and an Affent of the Understanding grounded thereon? And when we hear it afferted, That whofoever is influenced by a right Faith, and doth not lead a good Life will also be faved, who doth not reject the Affertion, as contradictory to common Senfe, and as offenfive to Reafon, as Dirt is to the the Eye into which it falleth? For every Perfon, in fuch a Cafe, must naturally be led, by an interior Perception, to reflect thus within himself, How is it poffible for any one to be influenced by a right Faith, who doth not lead a good Life? And what is Faith in fuch a Cafe, but as a painted Form, instead of a living Image? In like Manner, when we hear it af ferted, That whofoever leadeth a good Life, although he be not influenced by a right Faith, will be faved, doth not the Understanding inftantly fee, perceive, and determine, whilft it revolveth on this Propofition,, that there is an Incoherence in it? For to lead a good Life is evidently the Gift of God, inasmuch as all Good, which is really fo, is from God; and what then is a good Life when unattended with Faith, but like Clay in the Hand of the Potter, which is not capable of being formed into any Veflel of Use in God's fpiritual Kingdom, but only in his natural Kingdom? Moreover, who doth not fee the Contradiction implied in both thefe Propofitions, first, That whofoever believeth, and doth not lead a good Life, frall be faved, and fecondly, That whofoever leadeth a good Life, and doth not believe, fall be faved? Now whereas the true Nature of a good Life, which is the Result of Charity, is at this Day understood, and yet not understood, being underftood in a natural Senfe, but not understood in a fpiritual Senfe; therefore we shall enter upon the Confideration of this Subject, as having Relation to, and being connected with Charity, and fhall reduce it under diftinct Heads, or Articles. That there are three universal Loves; the Love of Heaven, the Love of the World, and the Love of Self. 394. We begin with the Confideration of these three Kinds of Love, inafinuch as they are the Univerfals, and the Fundamentals of every other Kind of Love, and becaufe Charity has Something in common with each of them; for by THE LOVE OF HEAVEN, is meant Love towards the Lord, and alfo Love towards our Neighbour; and whereas each of these regardeth Ufe as its End, the Love of Heaven may be called the Love of Ufes. THE LOVE OF THE WORLD, is not only the Love of Riches and large Property, but also the Love of all Things which the World fupplieth for the Delight of the bodily Senfes, as Beauty for the Eye, Harmony for the Ear, Fragrance for the Smell, Delicacies for the Palate, foft Blandifhments for the Touch, befides handfome Apparel, convenient Habitations, the Comforts of Society, and confequently all the Satisfactions refulting from thefe, and many other Objects. THE LOVE OF SELF, is not only the Love of Honour, Glory, Reputation, and Diftinction, but also the Love of meriting, and Vol. II. B feeking |