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
{Footnote 1} All kinds of men are born into evils of every
kind, even to the extent that what is their own is nothing but
evil (n. 210, 215, 731, 874-876, 987, 1047, 2307, 2308, 3518,
3701, 3812, 8480, 8550, 10283, 10284, 10286, 10731).
Consequently man must needs be reborn, that is, regenerated (n.
3701). Man's inherited evil consists in his loving himself more
than God, and the world more than heaven and in making his
neighbor, in comparison with himself, of no account, except for
the sake of self, that is, himself alone, thus it consists in
the love of self and of the world (n. 694, 731, 4317, 5660).
All evils are from the love of self and of the world, when
those loves rule (n. 1307, 1308, 1321, 1594, 1691, 3413, 7255,
7376, 7488, 7490, 8318, 9335, 9348, 10038, 10742). These evils
are contempt of others, enmity, hatred revenge, cruelty, deceit
(n. 6667, 7370-7374, 9348, 10038, 10742). And from these evils
comes all falsity (n. 1047, 10283, 10284, 10286). These loves,
so far as the reins are given them, rush headlong; and the love
of self aspires even to the throne of God (n. 7375, 8678).
343. Several times when a number of children that were in a purely
infantile state have been with me in choirs, they were heard as a
tender unarranged mass, that is, as not yet acting as one, as they do
later when they have become more mature. To my surprise the spirits
with me could not refrain from inducing them to talk. This desire is
innate in spirits. But I noticed, each time, that the children
resisted, unwilling to talk in this way. This refusal and resistance,
which were accompanied by a kind of indignation, I have often
perceived; and when an opportunity to talk was given them they would
say nothing except that "It is not so." I have been taught that
little children are so tempted in order that they may get accustomed
to resisting, and may begin to resist falsity and evil, and also that
they may learn not to think, speak, and act, from another, and in
consequence may learn to permit themselves to be led by no one but
the Lord.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account