Heaven and its Wonders and HellSwedenborg, Emanuel
Religion
Heaven and its Wonders and Hell
Swedenborg, Emanuel
Future life -- Christianity -- Early work to 1800; Heaven -- Christianity; Hell -- Christianity
They ask of Me the judgments of righteousness, they long
for an approach unto God (Isaiah 58:2). So in other
places.
{Footnote 1} By "David" in the prophetic parts of the Word, the
Lord is meant (n. 1888, 9954).
{Footnote 2} In the Word "Zion" means the church, and
specifically the celestial church (n. 2362, 9055).
217. In the Lord's spiritual kingdom there are various forms of
government, differing in different societies, the variety being in
accord with the functions performed by the societies; and the
functions of these are in accord with the functions of all things in
man to which they correspond. That these are various is well known,
the heart having one function, the lungs another, the liver another,
the pancreas and spleen another, and each sensory organ another. As
in the body these organs perform various services, so there are
various services pertaining to the societies in the Greatest Man,
which is heaven for the societies there correspond to these organs.
That there is a correspondence of all things of heaven with all
things of man may be seen in its own chapter above (n. 87-102). But
all these forms of government agree in this, that they look to the
public good as their end, and in that good to the good of the
individual.{1} And this is so because everyone in the whole heaven is
under the auspices of the Lord, who loves all, and from Divine love
ordains that there shall be a common good, from which each individual
shall receive his own good. Each one, moreover, receives good
according as he loves the common good; for so far as he loves the
common good he loves all and everyone; and as that love is love of
the Lord he is to that extent loved by the Lord, and good comes to
him.
{Footnote 1} Every man and every community, also one's country
and the church and in the universal sense the kingdom of the
Lord, is a neighbor, and to do good to these from love of good
in accordance with their state is to love the neighbor; that
is, the neighbor is the good of these, which is the common good
that must be consulted (n. 6818-6824, 8123). Civil good also,
which is justice, is a neighbor (n. 2915, 4730, 8120-8123).
Therefore charity towards the neighbor extends itself to all
things and each thing of the life of man; and loving good and
doing good from love of good and truth, and also doing what is
just from a love of what is just in every function and in every
work, is loving the neighbor (n. 2417, 8121-8124).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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