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} Every good has its delight as well as its quality
from use and in accordance with use; therefore such as the use
is, such is the good (n. 3049, 4984, 7038). Angelic life
consists in the goods of love and charity, that is, in
performing uses (n. 454). The Lord, and consequently the
angels, look only, in regard to man, to ends, which are uses
(n. 1317, 1645, 5854). The Lord's kingdom is a kingdom of uses
that is, of ends (n. 454, 696, 1103, 3645, 4054, 7038). Serving
the Lord is performing uses (n. 7038). Each thing and all
things in man have been formed for use (n. 3626, 4104, 5189
9297; also from use, that is, the use is prior to the organic
forms in man through which the use is performed, because use is
from the inflowing of the Lord through heaven (n. 4223, 4926).
Moreover man's interiors, which constitute his mind, when he
grows to maturity are formed from use and for use (n. 1964,
6815, 9297). Consequently man is such as are the uses with him
(n. 1568, 3570, 4054, 6571, 6935, 6938, 10284). Uses are the
ends for the sake of which (n. 3565, 4054, 4104, 6815). Use is
the first and the last, thus the all of man (n. 1964).
113. As all things that are in accord with Divine order correspond to
heaven, so all things contrary to Divine order correspond to hell.
All things that correspond to heaven have relation to good and truth;
but those that correspond to hell have relation to evil and falsity.
114. Something shall now be said about the knowledge of
correspondences and its use. It has been said above that the
spiritual world, which is heaven, is conjoined with the natural world
by means of correspondences; therefore by means of correspondences
communication with heaven is granted to man. For the angels of heaven
do not think from natural things, as man does; but when man has
acquired a knowledge of correspondences he is able, in respect to the
thoughts of his mind, to be associated with the angels, and thus in
respect to his spiritual or internal man to be conjoined with them.
That there might be such a conjunction of heaven with man the Word
was written wholly by correspondences, each thing and all things in
it being correspondent.{1} If man, therefore, had a knowledge of
correspondences he would understand the spiritual sense of the Word,
and from that it would be given him to know arcana of which he sees
nothing in the sense of the letter. For there is a literal sense and
there is a spiritual sense in the Word, the literal sense made up of
such things as are in the world, and the spiritual sense of such
things as are in heaven. And such a Word, in which everything down to
the least jot is a correspondence, was given to men because the
conjunction of heaven with the world is effected by means of
correspondences.{2}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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