Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Love and the Divine WisdomSwedenborg, Emanuel
Religion
Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom
Swedenborg, Emanuel
God (Christianity) -- Love; God (Christianity) -- Wisdom
All good things that take form in act are called uses; and all evil things
that take form in act are also called uses, but evil uses, while the
former are called good uses. Now, since all good things are from the Lord
and all evil things from hell, it follows that none but good uses were
created by the Lord, and that evil uses arose out of hell. By the uses
specially treated of in this chapter are meant all those things which are
to be seen upon the earth, as animals of every kind and plants of every
kind. Such things of both kingdoms as are useful to man are from the Lord,
but those which are harmful to man are from hell. By uses from the Lord
are likewise meant all things that perfect the rational of man, and cause
him to receive the spiritual from the Lord; but by evil uses are meant all
things that destroy the rational, and make man unable to become spiritual.
Those things that are harmful to man are called uses because they are of
use to the evil in doing evil, and also are serviceable in absorbing
malignities and thus also as remedies. "Use" is employed in both senses,
as love is when we speak of good love and evil love; moreover, everything
that love does it calls use.
337. That good uses are from the Lord, and evil uses from hell, will be
shown in the following order.
(1) What is meant by evil uses on the earth.
(2) All things that are evil uses are in hell, and all things that are
good uses are in heaven.
(3) There is unceasing influx from the spiritual world into the natural
world.
(4) Those things that are evil uses are effected by the operation of
influx from hell, wherever there are such things as correspond thereto.
(5) This is done by the lowest spiritual separated from what is above it.
(6) There are two forms into which the operation by influx takes place,
the vegetable and the animal.
(7) Both these forms receive the ability to propagate their kind and the
means of propagation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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