Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

Heaven and its Wonders and Hell by Emanuel Swedenborg
page 15 of 570 (02%)
15. In heaven there are two distinct loves, love to the Lord and love
towards the neighbor, in the inmost or third heaven love to the Lord,
in the second or middle heaven love towards the neighbor. They both
go forth from the Lord, and they both make heaven. How these two
loves are distinct and how they are conjoined is seen in heaven in
clear light, but in the world only obscurely. In heaven loving the
Lord does not mean loving Him in respect to His person, but it means
loving the good that is from Him; and to love good is to will and do
good from love; and to love the neighbor does not mean loving a
companion in respect to his person, but loving the truth that is from
the Word; and to love truth is to will and do it. This makes clear
that these two loves are distinct as good and truth are distinct, and
that they are conjoined as good is conjoined with truth.{1} But this
can scarcely be comprehended by men unless it is known what love is,
what good is, and what the neighbor is.{2}

{Footnote 1} To love the Lord and the neighbor is to live
according to the Lord's commandments (n. 10143, 10153, 10310,
10578, 10648).

{Footnote 2} To love the neighbor is not to love the person,
but to love that in him from which he is what he is, that is,
his truth and good (n. 5028. 10336). Those who love the person,
and not that in him from which he is what he is, love evil and
good alike (n. 3820). Charity is willing truths and being
affected by truths for the sake of truths (n. 3876, 3877).
Charity towards the neighbor is doing what is good, just, and
right, in every work and in every function (n. 8120-8122).


DigitalOcean Referral Badge