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
404. There were some spirits who thought themselves better instructed
than others, and who said that they had believed in the world that
heavenly joy would consist solely in praising and giving glory to
God, and that this would be an active life. But these were told that
praising and giving glory to God is not a proper active life, also
that God has no need of praises and glorification, but it is His will
that they should perform uses, and thus the good works that are
called goods of charity. But they were unable to associate with goods
of charity any idea of heavenly joy, but only of servitude, although
the angels testified that this joy is most free because it comes from
an interior affection and is conjoined with ineffable delight.
405. Almost all who enter the other life think that hell is the same
to everyone, and heaven the same; and yet in both there are infinite
varieties and diversities, and in no case is hell or heaven wholly
the same to one as to another; as it is impossible that any one man,
spirit or angel should ever be wholly like another even as to the
face. At my mere thought of two being just alike or equal the angels
expressed horror, saying that everyone thing is formed out of the
harmonious concurrence of many things, and that the one thing is such
as that concurrence is; and that it is thus that a whole society in
heaven becomes a one, and that all the societies of heaven together
become a one, and this from the Lord alone by means of love.{1} Uses
in the heavens are likewise in all variety and diversity, and in no
case is the use of one wholly the same as and identical with the use
of another; so neither is the happiness of one the same as and
identical with the happiness of another. Furthermore, the delights of
each use are innumerable, and these innumerable delights are likewise
various, and yet conjoined in such order that they mutually regard
each other, like the uses of each member, organ, and viscus, in the
body, and still more like the uses of each vessel and fiber in each
member, organ and viscus; each and all of which are so affiliated as
to have regard to another's good in their own good, and thus each in
all, and all in each. From this universal and individual aspect they
act as one.
{Footnote 1} One thing consists of various things, and receives
thereby its form and quality and perfection in accordance with
the quality of the harmony and concurrence (n. 457, 3241,
8003). There is an infinite variety and never any one thing the
same as another (n. 7236, 9002). It is the same in the heavens
(n. 3744, 4005, 7236, 7833, 7836, 9002). In consequence all the
societies in the heavens and all the angels in a society are
distinct from each other because they are in different goods
and uses (n. 690, 3241, 3519, 3804, 3986, 4067, 4149, 4263,
7236, 7833). The Lord's Divine love arranges all into a
heavenly form, and so conjoins them that they are as a single
man (n. 457, 3986, 5598).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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