the spiritual moral sense, is that one must not hate his brother or
neighbor, and thus not defame or slander him; for thus he would injure
or kill his reputation and honor, which is the source of his life among
his brethren, which is called his civil life, and afterward he would
live in society as one dead, for he would be numbered among the vile and
wicked, with whom no one would associate. When this is done from enmity,
from hatred, or from revenge, it is murder.

Morever, by many in the world this life is counted and esteemed in equal
measure with the life of the body. And before the angels in the heavens
he that destroys this life is held to be as guilty as if he had
destroyed the bodily life of his brother. For enmity, hatred, and
revenge breathe murder and will it; but they are restrained and curbed
by fear of the law, of resistance and of loss of reputation. And yet
these three are endeavors toward murder; and every endeavor is an act,
for it goes forth into act when fear is removed. This is what the Lord
teaches in Matthew:

"Ye have heard that it was said to them of old, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be liable to the judgment. But I say unto
you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be
liable to the judgment; whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall
be liable to the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be
liable to the hell of fire." (v. 21-26)

But the more remote sense of this commandment, Thou shalt not kill,
which is called the celestial spiritual sense, is that one shall not
take away from man the faith and love of God, and thus his spiritual
life. This is murder itself, because from this life man is a man, the
life of the body serving this life as the instrumental cause serves its