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THE SCIENCE OF CORRESPONDENCES

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CHARITY

charity3p_500_356 It is a common saying that everyone is neighbor to himself, that is, that one should take care of himself first of all. The doctrine of charity teaches how the case herein is.    Everyone is neighbor to himself, not in the first, but in the last place. In a prior place are others who are in good; in a still prior place is a society of many; in a place still prior is our country; in a place still prior is the church; in a place still prior is the Lord's kingdom; and above all men and all things is the Lord. [AC6933]

The saying that everyone is neighbor to himself, and that he must take care of himself first of all, is to be understood in this way. Everyone must make provision for himself so as to have the necessaries of life, as food, clothing, a place to dwell in, and other things which are necessarily required in the civil life where he is; and this not only for himself, but also for his family; and not only for the present time, but also for the future.  Unless each person procures for himself the necessaries of life, he cannot be in a state to exercise charity toward the neighbor, for he is in need of all things. [AC 6934]

The end in view declares in what way each person must be neighbor to himself, and must first of all take care of himself.  If the end is that he may become richer than others merely for the sake of riches, pleasure, eminence, and the like, the end is evil; and therefore he who from such an end believes he is neighbor to himself, injures himself to eternity.  But if the end is that he may acquire wealth for the sake of the necessaries of life, for himself and for his family, so as to be in a state to do what is good according to the commandments of the doctrine of charity, he takes care of himself for eternity.  The end itself makes the man, for the end is his love, because everyone has as the end that which he loves. [AC 6935]

How the case herein is can be further seen from this similar example.  Everyone ought to take care of his body in respect to its food and clothing.  This must come first, but to the end that there may be a sound mind in a sound body. And everyone ought to take care of his mind in respect to its food, namely, in respect to such things as belong to intelligence and wisdom, to the end that his mind may thus be in a state to serve the Lord; he who does this, takes good care of himself for eternity. But he who takes care of his body merely for the sake of the body, and does not think of soundness of mind, and who does not take care of his mind in respect to such things as are of intelligence and wisdom, but in respect to such things as are contrary thereto, takes bad care of himself for eternity. From all this it is evident in what way everyone ought to be neighbor to himself, namely, not in the first place but in the last; for the end must not be for himself, but for others; and where the end is, there is the first. [AC 6936]

Moreover the case herein is like that of a man who is building a house. He must first lay the foundation; but the foundation must be for the house, and the house for a place to dwell in.  And so everyone must first take care of himself, yet not for himself, but in order that he may be in a state to be of service to the neighbor, thus to his country, to the church, and above all to the Lord. He who believes that he is neighbor to himself in the first place, is like one who regards the foundation as the end, and not the house and dwelling in it; when yet the dwelling is the very first and last end, and the house together with its foundation is only a means to the end. [AC 6937]

As is the case with possessions, so also is it with honors in the world: everyone is at liberty to provide himself with these also, yet not for the sake of himself, but for the sake of the neighbor: he who provides them for the sake of himself, provides ill for himself; but he who provides them for the sake of the neighbor, provides well for himself.  For he who turns his ends to himself turns himself toward hell; but he who turns his ends from himself to the neighbor, turns himself toward heaven. [AC 6938]

In what precedes it has been told what the neighbor is: it is now to be told what the charity or love is which there must be toward the neighbor. [AC 7080]

The very life of man is his love and such as his love is, such is his life may, such is the whole man.  But it is the ruling or reigning love, that is, the love of that which he has as the end, which makes the man.  This love has subordinate to itself many particular and singular loves, which are derivations, and appear under a different shape; but still the ruling love is in each one of them, and directs them, and through them, as through mediate ends, looks to and aims at its end, which is the first and last of them all; and this both directly and indirectly.  [AC 7081]

There are two things in the natural world which make the life there, namely, heat and light; and there are two things in the spiritual world which make the life there, namely, love and faith.  Heat in the natural world corresponds to love in the spiritual world, and light in the natural world corresponds to faith in the spiritual world.  Hence it is that when spiritual heat or fire is mentioned, love is meant; and when spiritual light is mentioned, faith is meant.  Moreover love is actually the vital heat of man, for it is known that man grows warm from love; and faith is actually the light of man, for it can be known that man is illumined from faith. [AC 7082]

The heat and light in the natural world arise from the sun of the world; but spiritual heat and light, or love and faith, arise from the sun of heaven.  The sun of heaven is the Lord the heat which comes from Him as a sun is love, and the light which comes from Him as a sun is faith. That the Lord is light is evident from these words in John:

Jesus said, I am the light of the world, he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12);

and that the Lord is a sun is evident in Matthew:

When Jesus was transfigured, His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as the light (Matthew 17:2).[AC 7083]

From this correspondence it can also be known how the case is with faith and with love. Faith without love is like light without heat, as is the light of winter; and faith with love is like light with heat, as is the light of spring.  That in the light of spring each and all things grow and flower, is known; and also that in the light of winter all things become torpid and die.  It is similar with faith and love. [AC 7084]

Now as love is the source of man's life, and as the whole man is such as is his love, and also as love is spiritual conjunction, it follows that all in the other life are consociated according to the loves; for everyone's life, that is, his love, follows him.  They who are in love toward the neighbor, and in love to God, are consociate in heaven; but they who are in the love of self and the love of the world are consociate in hell; for the love of self is opposite to love to God, and the love of the world is opposite to love toward the neighbor. [AC 7085]

It is said "love to God," and there is meant love to the Lord, because in Him is the Trinity, and He is the Lord of heaven, for He has "all power in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). [AC 7086]

All things in the universe bear relation to Good and Truth.  That which does not bear relation

to good and truth is not in Divine order; and that which does not bear relation to both together, produces nothing.  Good is that which produces, and truth is that by which it produces. [AC 7752]

These facts may illustrate how the case is with spiritual good and truth, which are called charity and faith; namely, that all things which belong to the church bear relation to these, and those which do not bear relation to them have nothing of the church in them; and also that which does not contain both within it produces no fruit, that is, no good of charity or of faith. [AC 7753]

For in order that anything may be produced, there must be two forces, one which is called active, the other which is called passive; the one without the other brings forth nothing.  Such forces, or lives, are charity and faith in the man of the church. [AC 7754]

The first of the church is good, the second is truth; or the first of the church is charity, and the second is faith.  For the truth of the doctrine of faith is for the sake of the good of life. That which is the end for the sake of which something else exists, this is the first. [AC 7755]

With the conjunction of the good which is of charity, and the truth which is of faith, in man, the case is this.  The good which is of charity enters through the soul into man, but the truth which is of faith enters through the hearing; the former flows in immediately from the Lord, but the latter mediately through the Word. Hence the way by which the good of charity enters is called the internal way; and the way by which the truth of faith enters is called the external way. That which enters by the internal way is not perceived, because it is not plainly subject to sensation; whereas that which enters by the external way is perceived, because it is plainly subject to sensation.  For this reason everything of the church is attributed to faith.  It is otherwise with those who have been regenerated; with such the good that is of charity is plainly perceived. [AC 7756]

The conjunction of the good of charity with the truth of faith is effected in the interiors of man.  The good itself which flows in from the Lord adopts truth there, and appropriates it to itself, and thereby causes the good with the man to be good, and the truth to be truth; or the charity to be charity, and the faith to be faith. Without this conjunction charity is not charity, but only natural goodness; neither is faith faith, but only the memory-knowledge of such things as are of faith, and in some cases a persuasion that a thing is so for the sake of earning gain or honor. [AC 7757]

When truth has been conjoined with good it is no longer called truth, but good; and so when faith has been conjoined with charity it is no longer called faith, but charity; the reason is that the man then wills and does the truth, and that which he wills and does is called good. [AC 7758]

With the conjunction of the good of charity with the truth of faith, the case, further, is this.  This good obtains its quality from truth, and truth its essence from good. From this it follows that the quality of good is according to the truths with which it is conjoined; and therefore good becomes genuine if the truths with which it is conjoined are genuine.  Genuine truths of faith are possible within the church, but not out of it, for within the church is the Word. [AC 7759]

Moreover the good of charity receives its quality also from the abundance of the truths of faith; likewise from the connection of one truth with another: thus is formed spiritual good with man. [AC 7760]

 A clear distinction must be made between spiritual good and natural good.  As before said, spiritual good has its quality from the truths of faith, their abundance, and their connection; but natural good is born with the man, and also arises by accident, as by misfortunes, diseases, and the like.  Natural good saves no one, but spiritual good saves all.  The reason is that the good which is formed through the truths of faith is a plane into which heaven can flow, that is, the Lord through heaven, and lead man, and withhold him from evil, and afterward uplift him into heaven; but not so natural good; and therefore they who are in natural good can be as easily carried away by falsity as by truth, provided the falsity appears in the form of truth; and they can be as easily led by evil as by good, provided the evil is presented as good.  They are like feathers in the wind. [AC 7761]

The confidence of trust which is said to be of faith and is called faith, is not spiritual confidence or trust, but natural.  Spiritual confidence or trust has its essence and life from the good of love; but not from the truth of faith separate.  The confidence of faith separate is dead; and therefore there cannot be true confidence with those who have led an evil life.  Moreover that confidence which depends on salvation through the Lord's merit, irrespective of what the life has been, is likewise not from truth. [AC 7762]

 Man has been so created that he can look upward, or above himself; and can also look downward, or below himself. To look above himself is to look to his neighbor, to his country, to the church, to heaven, especially to the Lord; but to look below himself is to look to the earth, to the world, and especially to himself. [AC 7814]

That to look to his neighbor, to his country, and to the church, is to look above himself, is because this is to look to the Lord; for the Lord is in charity, and it is of charity to look to the neighbor, to one's country, and to the church, that is, to will well to them. But they look below themselves who turn themselves away from these, and will well only to themselves. [AC 7815]

To look above one's self is to be uplifted by the Lord; for no one can look above himself, unless he is uplifted by Him who is above. But to look below himself is of man, because then he does not suffer himself to be uplifted. [AC 7816]

They who are in the good of charity and of faith look above themselves, because they are uplifted by the Lord; but they who are not in the good of charity and of faith look below themselves, because they are not uplifted by the Lord. Man looks below himself when he turns the influx of truth and good from the Lord to himself. He who turns to himself the good and truth flowing in from the Lord, sees himself and the world before him, and does not see the Lord with His good and truth, because they are behind him, and therefore come into such obscurity to him that he cares nothing for them, and at last he denies them. [AC 7817]

By looking above self and below self, is meant to have as the end, or to love above all things. Thus by looking above self is meant to have as the end, or to love above all things, what is of the Lord and heaven; and by looking below self is meant to have as the end, or to love above all things, what is of self and the world. The interiors of man also actually turn themselves to where the love turns itself. [AC 7818]

The man who is in the good of charity and faith loves also himself and the world, but no otherwise than as the means to an end are loved. The love of self with him looks to the love of the Lord, for he loves himself as a means to the end that he may serve the Lord; and the love of the world with him looks to the love of the neighbor, for he loves the world as a means for the sake of the end that he may be of service to the neighbor.  When therefore the means is loved for the sake of the end, it is not the means that is loved, but the end. [AC 7819]

From this it can be seen that they who are in worldly glory, that is, in eminence and opulence above others, can look above themselves to the Lord equally as can those who are not in eminence and opulence; for they look above themselves when they regard eminence and opulence as means, and not as the end. [AC 7820]

To look above self is proper to man, but to look below self is proper to beasts. From this it follows that in so far as a man looks below himself or downward, so far he is a beast, and also so far is an image of hell; and that in so far as he looks above himself or upward, so far he is a man, and also so far is an image of the Lord. [AC 7821]

Author: EMANUEL SWEDENBORG  (1688-1772)

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